The Bone Collector
by Policy
Summary: They say that the road to hell is paved with good intentions: no matter the choice, the consequences would always be unforeseen. It was too late to turn back now. All he could do was continue walking, making the choice that he would regret the least.
1. Bird in a Cage

_**Yo…**_

_**Wow. Can't believe it's been 9 months since I've last updated Yellow Fang. Time sure does fly by fast. Heh…**_

_***hangs head in shame***_

_**Sorry. Been busy. But got a promising new story! A new AU with a **__**dark**__** storyline. Honestly, I don't know how Yellow Fang exploded like it did. I've made a shit load of mistakes with it. I can only say I've learned from those mistakes and intend to use all my skill in this story right here. So will this story be better? Who knows…but boy oh boy does this bad boy have potential.**_

_**Shout out to Infamous storm for giving me some inspiration to work on this, and also to undergroundirector for just being awesome. And if my betas are reading this I just want you to know I'm sorry for the 9 months of nothing! I miss you all so much! *cries***_

_**Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. No matter how much I want to...**_

_**(Edit: Chapter edited 2015-07-05. Check profile for details)**_

* * *

_No destiny attacks us from outside. But, within him, man bears his fate and there comes a moment when he knows himself vulnerable; and then, as in a vertigo, blunder upon blunder lures him. ~Antoine de Saint-Exupéry_

* * *

Chapter 1: Bird in a Cage

If there was one person Neji hated more than his Uncle, it was his timid and utterly disgraceful excuse of a daughter.

Hinata Hyuuga was weak.

The notion would have been laughable if it wasn't so pathetic.

He easily dodged her palm strikes as if he wasn't trying.

_Why is she so weak?_

His eyes traced her sluggish movements. Her steps were hesitant under his withering glare.

_Is she not taking this seriously? _

He punished her hesitation with precise strikes, bruises rewarded against her skin from each blow.

_Does she not realize her father is watching?_

By the grimace on the Hyuuga Leaders face, he was less than pleased with his daughter's performance.

In the vast court yard of the Hyuuga Clan, the two cousins were engaged in a duel before the leaders of the Hyuuga. A performance that would ultimately decide the fate of the Heiress.

Too bad her opponent was the promising genius of the clan.

Again, he had to wonder if she was taking this _seriously_. The performance she was giving was so subpar, that he would wager a seven-year old Hanabi could put up a better fight. Shameful giving the younger sibling was just starting the academy.

He slapped away her palm strike, retaliating with a jab to the solar plexus that sent her stumbling to the ground. Byakugan providing keen X ray vision, he saw the way her chakra flow fluctuated. The blow had _hurt. _He managed to keep the smirk off his face as his eyes narrowed in triumph.

He would embarrass her right in front of her father. Prove right before the all-seeing eyes of the leader of the Main House that a lowly branch member was _better _than the rest of them. All of them would acknowledge his talent, his _genius. _

Despite the pain she was in, the heir of the Hyuuga Clan slowly rose to her feet. One hand was placed over the spot that Neji just hit, the other rising to her face to wipe away a trail of blood leaking from her mouth.

Mumbles were heard from the audience. Neji kept his eyes trained on Hinata, near three hundred degree vision showing him the elders were discussing amongst themselves, frowns marring their faces and looks of disgrace being sent Hinata's way.

_This match is over. _This time, he couldn't stop the smirk forming on his face as he shifted his stance into a crouch, feet apart, arms extended into a gentle fist stance that no mere branch member should know.

Gasp of alarm were coming from audience and Neji saw the eyes of his uncle widen, his mouth opening in disbelief.

He savored the expression

_Watch me make a mockery of your daughter._

"You are in range of my _Eight Trigram_s…cousin_._"

Hinata's face reflected naked fear as she took a hesitant step back. "T-That stance."

'_It was your destiny to lose here, Hinata. You can't stop me._' Wanting to finish this match as soon as possible, Neji charged her, the flow of chakra visible on his fingers as he prepared to deliver the deadly strikes of the sixty-four palms.

"I-I can't l-lose." Hinata whispered, eyes beginning to tear. She couldn't lose here. Not when her sister was counting on her. "I can't lose!" She screamed.

Neji was stunned to absolute disbelief as her hands formed a seal, the flow of chakra in her body already focusing to her chakra points.

_No._

_She wouldn't._

"Forgive me Neji." She whispered, tearful eyes conveying sorrow.

He could already feel it. The seal branded on his forehead beginning to pulse with energy. The pain of having his brain cells destroyed numbing his senses. His byakugan showed him the elders beginning to smile, surprise on their faces for such a bold move coming from the usually timid heiress.

They were all smiling.

At her.

They _approved._

Haishi's head bowed, his eyes closing in resignation.

A primal fury took over him, the frantic beat of his heart sending adrenaline through his veins. _No_! Never again would he be subjected to the curse seal. Never again would he feel the pain of being slave.

_Never again…_

"Pa-" The word died on Hinata's lips as she was hit with paralyzing killing intent.

"**NO**!"

The roar of fury was loud, momentarily deafening her ears as a palm glowing with deadly chakra slapped against her chest.

_Splat!_

"You pathetic bitch!" Neji spat, rationale lost to his anger. "You would use the curse seal in a sparring match _just _to beat me!?" He was shaking in anger. "You're nothing but a sorry excuse for a shinobi; a shame to the Hyuuga Clan that was lucky enough to be the daughter of the brother who came into _the world first_!" He finished with a cry of fury, his eyes bright with unshed tears.

How could she? How _dare _she use that seal. He would have taken a kunai and just chop of her fingers if they didn't have an audience.

"This match is…ove- …" He trailed off, finally noticing the expressions on the many faces behind his back.

All surveying shock.

Neji's furious expression melted, a numbing chill beginning to travel up his spine. He blinked, eyes drifting downwards to stare at his palm. The area around where his palm was pressed against Hinata's chest had blown away her beige jacket, shredded right through her clothes, to reveal the bare skin underneath that had turned an ugly black.

Then he saw it.

Deep inside of her, past the awkwardly bent bones of her ribcage, to the life pumping organ of her heart. Only the area where the muscle was located was a bloody mess, bits and pieces of _something _scattered around her chest cavity.

The numbing chill against his spine intensified, his limbs frozen in horror.

Her heart had _exploded._

It was then that he finally noticed that his entire front side of his shirt was covered in blood. He glanced up at Hinata's face and had to forcefully crush the urge to vomit.

Hinata's once pale face had turned an unhealthy shade, the area around her jaw doused with blood, forcefully expelled out of her mouth from the blow to the chest. Her hands had long since dropped limply to her sides as she stood motionless.

Still frozen, all Neji could do was watch as the flow of chakra inside of her came to abrupt halt, the life source of all living things steadily beginning to dwindle, and like a dying flame, flickered out.

He didn't move as her form tipped backwards, the only sound in the silent yard the dull _thump _of the Heiress of the Hyuuga Clan's dead body hitting the dirt.

"N-No." His body began to shiver uncontrollably, the implication of what he had just done finally sinking in. "I d-didn't mean to."

He felt someone brush pass him and looked up to see Haishi numbly walking forward, face dazed as if in a trance, the man dropping to his knees before his dead daughter.

"H-Haishi-sama."

The Leader of the Hyuuga Clan slowly outstretched his hand, reaching for his daughter's face as if to caress her skin, before it stopped on its path, instead stretching his fingers to ever so gently close her open eyelids.

"Guards! Guards! Come quickly!" Neji's eyes showed him the Hyuuga Elders screaming, their slow forms limping for safety.

Then Neji felt it.

He let out a scream, clutching his head in agony as the seal branded on his forehead pulsed to life. Neji dropped to his knees beginning to claw at his scalp, drool pooling out the sides of his mouth as his brain cells began to explode.

Through his torment, his byakugan remained clear, showing him the former Hyuuga patriarch, _Hiashi's father, _walking slowly towards him, byakugan set in a fierce glare as he held up the ram seal.

"To think I would live to see the day my own _grandson,_" He spat the word like it was a curse. "Would kill my granddaughter, the Heiress of this clan!" He was screaming, pale skin turning an angry red. "You! A _branch member_, sworn to protect the sanctity of the Hyuuga Clan move to destroy it – _Unacceptable_!" The Elder shook his head. "I've already had to kill one son. At least this time, killing you…" He stopped before Neji, standing over the boy withering on the dirt.

"Will be a _kindness._"

Neji screams rang loud. Members hearing the commotion rushed to the scene coming to the sight of the promising young genius slowly being killed before their eyes. Directly in front of him was Hiashi, kneeled into the dirt before his dead daughter.

One face stood out amongst the crowd, the young seven year old confused at the commotion. "What's going on?" Hanabi questioned to her guardian. "Ko-san why is Neji crying?"

The bandanna wearing man had already activated his byakugan at the scene, face pained at what he saw. "Oh no…Hinata." He whispered fighting to push back the tears in his eyes. He could only assume Neji allowed his anger to get the best of him.

"Why is Hinata-neechan on the ground Ko-san!" The question was asked with such innocence it made his heart clench. He quickly wiped his eyes, schooling his face as he glanced down at the girl.

Ko laid his hand on the girls shoulder, firmly but gently leading her away. "Come with me Hanabi-sama." The girl looked like she was about to protest, but a firm look from her guardian stopped her.

Leading her away from the horrific scene, Ko glanced back to look at Neji. His screams were beginning to dwindle.

The emotions Ko was feeling was threatening to swallow him whole; that was Hizashi's son dying before his eyes. He had just watched his Hinata die but he would be damned if the same happened to his _brother._

No one knew.

About the night Hizashi spent with his brother's wife.

He had met her _first_. He had been with her _first. _She was entirely his as he was hers...and yet he let her go, for the sake of the clan. For the sake of his one and only brother.

It would _never_ be known

And it would remain that way.

"Hanabi-sama." He kneeled before the girl, placing his hands on her shoulders, "I need you to listen to me very _carefully _okay?" Getting a hesitant nod from the girl he continued, "I need you to go to your room and stay in there until I come get you. Can you do that for me please?"

Her mouth opened then closed, before she nodded. "Yes Ko-nii."

He forced a smile on his face. "Good girl, now run to your room." She nodded, rushing off with the speed of a child, dodging the many adults who crowded around watching the grizzly scene.

Standing, he quickly rushed past the many bodies blocking him till he was clear of the Court Yard, momentarily glancing behind him for watchers before he took off in a burst of speed, running as fast as he could to the Hokage Tower.

* * *

If there was one thing that any Kage could agree on, it was that paper work that came with the job was a less than pleasing experience.

Oak desk layered with a mountain of paperwork the Hokage glared at the pile, wishing his gaze would magically teleport it all away.

"There must be some jutsu I don't know about that causes it to spawn." No matter how many papers he signed or stamped, the pile seemed endless.

He released a sigh, heavily leaning back into his chair. "Why did I ever want to be Hokage?" He questioned to his self. More than anything he loved his job. He really did. But the damn no good, kami forsaken paperwork slowly sucked the life out of him each day.

A lot of things seemed to be doing that these days.

Though his features still retained their youth, the bags under his eyes were heavy. No longer did he smile brightly. His eyes that once held so much shine were reduced to a dull shade over the years; all that remained was an icy blue.

The last five years had not been kind to him.

Eighteen years ago, when Naruto was born it had been the best moment of his entire life. Him and his lovely wife were parents, something he had wanted to be since he became Hokage.

Everything changed when Naruto hit age four.

_Everything._

A face, so much like his own, drifted across his thoughts.

_'Daddy help me!'_

_The huge medal beams had fallen on top of the boy, the sound of bones crushing filling the air with sickening cracks._

_Minato rushed forward in a burst of speed grabbing the huge beams and lifting with all his strength. _

_'I …I don't want to die.' It was a fading whisper, but he still managed to hear it._

_'Hold on Naruto!' He screamed_

_No matter how much he lifted, how much he heaved, the bars were too heavy. His panicked eyes widened seeing blood begin to flow like a stream under the massive beams, the small body pinned beneath lifeless._

_He focused as much as he could, keeping still to summon an energy from the very atmosphere – a source of power gained from nature itself._

_'Gya!'_

_The beam that was once too heavy to lift felt weightless in his hands, the giant beam tossed like a softball through the air._

_Yet despite all his speed…_

_'No please kami no! NARUTO!'_

_He was too late._

He gripped the handle bars of his chair so hard it began to crack.

He was the army slayer.

The legendary hero of the Third Shinobi World War.

The Yellow Flash.

Fourth Hokage of Konaha.

He was all these things but yet…

"A terrible father." Minato whispered to himself. His greatest, one and only failure.

Running a hand through his spiky blonde locks, he slumped in his chair. A few minutes of rest would suffice.

"Sleeping on the job, Hokage-sama."

Minato didn't acknowledge the voice, having sensed the presence just arriving. Maybe if he pretended to be asleep he would go away?

"I'm just going to keep bugging you if I'm ignored." The voice said teasingly, although he knew when to stop and show proper respect.

It wasn't wise to trifle with the Fourth Hokage these days.

"Let an old man sleep." Minato growled. "My doctor says a nap is good for my health."

"Of course Hokage-sama," The Captain of the Military Police walked forward to stand before the oak desk, a small smile on his face. "I'm sure your _doctor _would also recommend your secretary rub your back whenever you get a cramp."

Blue eyes peered open to stare at the smiling young man. "Watch your tone Itachi," Minato grumbled. "I'll tell Mikoto you're bugging me."

The smile instantly dropped. "You wouldn't." Dark eyes regarded him seriously.

Minato sat up in his chair, a cruel smile on his face. "I would."

Itachi grimaced, absently running a hand through his ponytail. "You're cruel Hokage-sama."

Minato smirked at the young man's expense. An angry Mikoto was almost as scary as Kushina.

Almost

"What's up Itachi-kun?"

Itachi crossed his wrist-armoured arms, eyes briefly flickering to the floor before his dark gaze fixed on the Hokage's face. "I ran into Naruto."

All humour was instantly wiped from his face. "When? Where?" He fired off quickly, his serious gaze failing to mask his nervous tone.

"A day ago." Itachi said neutrally. "At the border between the Land of Fire and Sound." He winced from the sound of Minato's fist hitting his desk

"What!" Minato shouted. "Naruto was in the country!?" _He was so close to home._

Itachi's gaze softened. "Hokage-sama…"

Minato glanced down at his fist seeing the wood intended under it. He took a calming breath composing himself in his seat. Itachi ignored the way he was tapping his desk in nervous agitation.

"What happened?"

Itachi released a sigh, turning his gaze to the window watching a flock of birds fly over the village. "There were some sightings of …_beast_ …in the area. Men and women who had turned into animals and started terrorizing local villages." Minato raised an eyebrow but didn't interrupt. "I and a small team went to investigate."

Dark eyes met blue.

"The sightings were true."

They had first come across a small fishing village finding all the inhabitants slaughtered. Every man, woman and child _devoured _– some eaten alive by the looks on their faces. There was still a small group of the creatures left. Men and women – if they could be labeled human anymore – mutated to beings of nightmares. And the chakra those creatures gave off...Despite being a seasoned veteran Itachi had grimaced at the feeling of such vile chakra. Foul in its very nature.

"We were immediately attacked." Itachi continued. "Despite outnumbering us, those creatures –although strong – lacked all rationale and were easy to deal with."

"And?" Minato questioned seeing the hesitant look on his face.

"The chakra those creatures were giving off." Itachi's fist clenched. "I could never forget the feeling of such a foul chakra."

Minato's mind raced, frantically thinking of who could leave the normally composed Police Captain so shaken before he settled on the only possible individual.

"Orochimaru." Minato hissed, blue eyes seeming to glow with an icy rage.

Itachi nodded slowly "That's when Naruto showed up."

Minato's face melted into shock. He thought over everything he just heard before he came to a stunning conclusion. "Na…Naruto is hunting Orochimaru?"

Itachi's expression was all the confirmation Minato need. He slumped against his chair, suddenly feeling all thirty-six of his years.

Naruto was hunting Orochimaru. But that only mean one thing.

_They _were on the move. They predicted activity for the organisation in the next two to three years but now, so soon? This was unexpected.

Unless Naruto was forced to begin if -

"Hokage-sama." Minato lifted his head to peer blankly at Itachi. "Don't forget Naruto is _feared_ across the continents. He probably has his reasons." From what he had seen, Orochimaru was as good as dead.

No target _ever_ lived to escape Naruto when he was on the hunt.

The most feared bounty hunter in all the lands. The boogeyman of the nations.

The _Bone Collector._

"How is he?" Minato asked softly, wanting to rid his thoughts over the reputation his son had built up.

_How does he look?_

_Is he okay?_

_What's he like?_

_Is he coming home?_

Itachi gave him a soft smile, seeming to read all that the question was asking. "Grown up… tall." _Taller than me _He thought sourly. "He looks exactly like you, although a little pale around the edges."

Minato smiled, only imagining how his son looked all grown up. It had been five years since he last saw him.

_Five _years.

How he loathed himself.

"D-Did he ask for me?" Minato questioned hesitantly. The naked emotion on his face made Itachi pause. The young man slowly shook his head, frowning as the Hokage seemed to slump into his chair.

"He did ask for Kushina-sama though." Itachi added after a few moments of silence. Realizing a few seconds later that wasn't the wisest thing to tell the man.

Minato just nodded at that, gaze focused on the scratches in his desk. "I figured he would. He …he hates me."

"Although," Itachi began slowly, failing to keep his features blank as the Hokage's head snapped up quickly, blue eyes hanging on every word like a lifeline. "He did tell me to deliver a message for you."

"W-What did he say?" Minato didn't even realize he was shaking in anxiety.

_'Itachi'_

_Violet eyes, so much like his mothers, glanced in his direction, a small smile forming on his face. _

_'Tell the old man…' _

"An elemental _Rasengan _is not impossible …" Whatever that meant.

Minato stared at Itachi long and hard, openly gawking at the young Police Captain before his composure collapsed into tears. Despite his overflowing emotions, there was a happy smile on his face as he wiped away the stubborn tears on his sleeve.

He had done it.

Something he as the creator gave up on ever accomplishing only to be succeeded by his son.

"That's my boy." He whispered to himself.

Itachi smiled at the reaction watching as the Fourth took a few minutes to compose himself.

No matter how much his childhood friend acted, his actions proved Minato's guiltiness over his hate was otherwise.

And actions were significantly louder then words.

Minato opened his mouth to speak but halted as he felt an incoming chakra signature. Itachi sensed it to as his eye quickly turned to the door, hand already reaching for the handle of the ninjato attached to his back.

A hand waved him down just as the door burst open revealing a panting Hyuuga.

Wheezing as he tried to catch his breath, Ko Hyuuga managed to articulate his words. "Excuse the interruption Hokage-sama but your presence is required at the Hyuuga Clan grounds right now!" It was impressive to see he managed to get that out in one breath.

Minato was already out of his seat walking towards the frantic Ko.

"What's happening?" He questioned, eyes turning to Itachi who nodded.

The Police Captain reached fingered the radio in his ear. "All available units to report to Sector 7 immediately. I repeat all available units report to Sector 7 over."

"They're going to kill…" Ko gasped out. "Neji!"

That was all Minato needed to hear to place a hand on the panting man, the other held in a seal as he focused his chakra. Itachi quickly laid his hand on Minato's shoulder just as Ko let out a shout as the trio teleported with a flash of yellow

* * *

The Hyuga elder kept his concentration strong as glared down at the boy.

"What you all see before you is a murderer." He began. "A branch member that has committed the crime of killing our precious Heiress!" He pointed a finger at the boy, his gaze turned to the subdued members of the clan. "Gather around and watch as justice is served. Death for an act such as this, surely," He returned his gaze back to dying Genin. "Is a mercy."

"This is your _destiny_ boy. Your _fate. _"

"Stop!"

Spines immediately straightened hearing the angry shout.

The Elder's eyes widened before his face set itself into neutrality, reluctantly ending the jutsu ceasing Neji's screams. The crowded court yard gave way to a walking figure, both Branch and Main house members bowing to the Hokage as he passed them.

White cloak billowing behind him, his trusted Police Captain flanking, Minato's gaze narrowed at the scene.

"What is the meaning of this?" He said with a fierce scowl. The way he spoke so calmly emphasized the icy tone of his voice. "I thought I instructed this clan that use of the curse seal is _forbidden._"

No face dared to meet his glare.

"Hokage-sama." The Elder bowed in submission, byakugan receding under the Hokage's glare. "This boy has committed murder."

Minato turned to stare at the young boy on the ground in pain.

Neji looked half dead. His skin had turned an unhealthy pale, some parts of his scalp bleeding from where he had ripped out his hair in torment. Drool was leaking out the side of his mouth with his frantic breathing giving the only sign that he was still alive.

His gaze drifted to Haishi seeing the Hyuuga Leader on his knees before a small body. He instantly recognized the face as his eyes creased in sorrow.

"Hinata…" He whispered.

"As you can see Hokage-sama, this boy shamelessly _murdered _our beloved heiress in what was supposed to be a practice duel." The Elder looked at the boy with barely hidden scorn. "Justice must be served!" He demanded

Minato gaze momentarily flickered to Itachi before he focused on the Elder.

"So it shall."

Sharingan eyes fixing the Hyuuga Elder a narrowed glare, Itachi pulled out some chakra suppressing handcuffs from his utility pouch. "Hibiki Hyuuga you are under arrest …" Before the man could react, his hands were cuffed and twisted behind him, his chakra instantly being siphoned off by the seals. "For illegal use of the curse seal." Itachi restrained the man as he began to struggle. "Anything you say or do will be used against you before a Military Tribunal.

"Please give me a reason to hurt you." He added seeing the man wouldn't stop struggling. Bloody Hyuugas.

"W-What!?" The man sputtered. "Hokage-sama what is the meaning of this!?"

"Using the curse seal designed from the Main Family is against the law." Minato spoke as if talking to a child. "You broke the law."

Hibiki turned prune. "Outrageous! The cursed seal has been in our family for generations! Our laws dictate –" The man let out a twist as Itachi twisted his arms.

"You're forgetting something esteemed Elder…" Minato's gaze was ice.

"_I_ am the law. _My _word is law. And you better make damn sure you_ remember_ that. " The man shivered under Minato's gaze. "Get him out of my sight." Itachi nodded, firmly directing the man past all the carefully schooled faces. It was no secret that the man was _hated _by both houses.

More Military Police were arriving on scene clearing away onlookers and setting up police tape in the area.

Minato gazed down at Neji, watching the way the boy slowly pushed himself to his feet, standing on shaky legs as he wiped his face. Neither he, nor anyone else made a move to help him.

"You okay Neji."

The boy nodded, wiping away a trail of blood leaking from his nose. "Y-Yes Hokage-sama."

Minato didn't offer him a smile, only raising his hand signaling to one of the officers who appeared at his side instantly.

"Yes Hokage-sama!" The man saluted.

Minato turned to him, taking in the dark hair and milky eyes. A Hyuuga. He was glad to see the Police reform was making it easier for non-Uchiha to join. "Take this boy to the hospital and make sure his health is an order." He turned back to Neji, face devoid of any sympathy. "Then place him under arrest."

"Yes sir!" The man saluted.

The officer walked towards Neji, cuffing him behind his back and began leading him away.

"Wait." Neji said softly, head bowed.

Minato nodded to the officer, signalling the man to relinquish his hold. The order was followed, although reluctantly.

Handcuffed, bleeding, and covered in dirt Neji walked towards his kneeling uncle. The man hadn't moved or uttered a word during the whole situation.

"Uncle."

Haishi's gaze finally lifted from his daughter's deceptively peaceful face, glancing at Neji with bloodshot eyes.

Dropping to his knees before the man he swore to kill, the man he swore to surpass the day his father chose to sacrifice his life to save _his, _before the man he hated more than anything, Neji _wept._

"F-Forgive me uncle!" Neji begged, bowing his head against the dirt. "I didn't mean to kill her! I swear it! She–"

The blow was swift and unexpected.

A simple slap sent with enough force to flip Neji on his side.

It stung more than the curse seal.

"Do you realize what you have done?" Haishi spoke for the first time since he arrived in the court yard to watch the duel. "Do you… nephew?" His words were barely a whisper, but all activity in the court yard seemed to halt, the whispered words echoing in the sudden silence.

"Get out of my sight."

Hearing those words had suddenly hurt more than anything. Haishi could have activated his curse seal and it would have been a blessing from the sudden pain in his heart.

"K-Kill me." Neji pleaded. "Just kill me! I deserve to die!"

"Leave Neji." Haishi said simply.

"Please Uncle…" He crawled towards Hiashi, placing his dirt ridden face into the man's robes. "I murdered your daughter! I made her heart explode! I deserve to die! Kill me!"

"Neji."

The weeping Genin lifted his head to stare up into his Uncle's face, gasping at what he saw.

Haishi's emotionless visage finally shattered revealing the grieving father underneath. Tears leaking down the sides of his face, the man grasped Neji's face into his hands, softly running his fingers through his dirty hair.

"Neji…" He began slowly. "You're no longer my brother's son. You're neither a nephew nor a family member any longer." Ever so softly, he dried the boy's tears with his robes. "I don't want to know you or what you do."

His gaze was blank.

"You're nothing to me."

The words were soft, smooth like a gentle caress. But they cut deeper than any wound, piercing Neji's heart like he did Hinata's.

"I, Hiashi Hyuuga, banish you from this clan!" His voice steadily rose in volume as he tightened his grip on the boy's face till it became painful.

"N-No uncle please!"

"I don't want this boy to be harmed while I am alive!" His voice was loud enough to be heard by all. "No act of revenge or justice will be enacted by anyone this day! For you Neji…" He hissed bringing his face close enough to bump their foreheads.

"I want you to live." Neji's eyes widened. "I want you to live with that mark on your forehead knowing that _I _spared your life."

"LIVE!" He shouted so hard that the sound hurt his ears. Neji felt like his head was about to be crushed before the hold softened slightly, the man glaring him down with his byakugan. "…And die with it."

Haishi finally released him.

Almost like a puppet without strings Neji fell backwards, his back hitting the ground as he lay motionless. His blank eyes peered up at the sky, watching a flock of birds sail through air.

Freedom.

He was finally free.

Free of the clan, a life of servitude – _free. _And yet the numbness in his chest wouldn't alleviate. He had just been disowned by a heartbroken father, labeled a Hyuuga no longer.

_You're nothing to me._

A nobody.

He was free.

Yet he was nothing.

He still had the curse on his head; the curse that represents a mark of a _bird in a cage._ The symbol of being tied down to an inescapable destiny.

Was this always meant to be his?

Today was the third of July.

The day the Heiress of the Hyuuga Clan was murdered by a branch member. The day Neji Hyuuga, was disowned by his uncle, Hiashi Hyuuga, from the Hyuuga Clan.

Today was his birthday.

Neji watched the birds fly through the air.

* * *

"Hiashi."

The man lifted his eyes from his daughter's body, staring up into empathetic blue eyes.

"Hokage-sama." It was more of dismissal than acknowledgement, Haishi immediately returning his gaze to his daughter. Minato ignored it.

"This is now a crime scene Hiashi." Minato spoke softly, walking closer to stand right behind the man. He carefully laid a hand on the man's robed shoulder. "The police need to take the body."

The Hyuuga leader stayed motionless, not saying a word for a few moments as he stared at Hinata's face. His eyes _looked _at her, gaze sweeping across her face as if trying to memorize her every feature before he gave a small nod, rising to his feet gracefully.

Minato kept his hand on the man's shoulder as he led him away, the police already moving to handle Hinata's body. They pulled out a body bag equivalent to the size of a young girl. Hiashi had his byakugan activated as he walked, the man's legs giving out from underneath him as he saw his first born hoisted into the bag, collapsing to the ground.

Minato was there to catch him, holding on to the man as his composure broke.

All had to momentarily pause as the cries of a broken man were heard.

* * *

Minato lost count on how many times he released a tired breath this day.

He sighed, leaning heavily back into his chair as he massaged his aching temples.

This already bad – that was too kind a word – _shitty _day just took a turn for the worst. To think Hizashi's own son would kill his brother's daughter. Minato let out a groan as he propped his elbows against his desk, resting his face into his hands.

He had already failed the man once.

One of his greatest mistakes that he regretted to this very day was allowing what came to be known as the Hyuuga Affair to be settled by the clan themselves. He had been ready to fight, send the head of that idiot of messenger back to the Raikage with his own signature etched into the forehead _daring _the man to cross the border.

He had the support of the major clans. If war was the only outcome than Konoha was _ready _for it.

If not for Hizashi, the Fourth Shinobi World War would be going strong right now.

The man had been the voice of reason amongst shouts of protest. Seeking the least violent solution to avoid the threat of war, and settle the outrageous demand from Kumogakure, the man sacrificed himself, giving his life to save his brothers, and potentially the lives of many others, only asking for _one thing_ in return.

'_Take care of Neji._'

Minato tugged at his blonde locks. How could the man request him to take care of a kid that wasn't his when he couldn't even take care of his _own _child?

He had caused his only son to turn his back on the village, etching a horizontal line through the leaf symbol on his forehead protector, and forever go down in history as a missing-nin.

Kushina could barely manage being in the same room with him, lest speaking to him.

He didn't blame her.

He couldn't stand to see his own reflection.

"What is it Itachi." He spoke to the seemingly empty office.

"I have bad news and really bad news." The Uchiha appeared out of the shadows, sharingan regarding Hokage seriously. He managed to not flinch when Minato's eyes turned icy, the weight of his stare seemingly causing his body to feel heavy.

"Shouldn't there be _good _news first?" The question was light, but the tone was otherwise.

"Well first off, Hibiki is out on bail." The man had gotten himself a lawyer from the Daimyo's Court somehow and managed to pull some strings. The Hyuuga Clan sure did have some deep pockets.

Minato just snorted as if he expected it and Itachi continued "The really bad news: Neji is missing."

The Hyuuga officer had brought the boy to the hospital for a health checkup but apparently the man hadn't felt the need to handcuff the young boy. The mistake was rewarded with the man having the _chakra points _in both arms sealed and several hospital personnel injured.

The Barrier Team had reported a ripple at the North side of the village, the chakra signature similar that of Neji's.

"We think he's going north. Most likely heading to Sound Country." A really, _really_ unwise sense of direction for the young Hyuuga.

"Well find him!" Minato shouted, irritation at a boiling point with how the day's events had turned.

Itachi bowed in obedience. "I'm already leading the search." Message delivered, the _shadow clone_ dispelled in puff of smoke.

Emotionally and physically exhausted Minato stood from his desk, already focusing his chakra to the seal of the Thunder God. It would be proper of him to inform his secretary he was leaving early for the night but _fuck it._

He was tired.

The world suddenly turned on its axis, his vision momentarily going dark as teleported through space and time, blinking as he suddenly stared into surprised plum blue eyes.

Kushina Uzumaki stared at her husband in shock, before her gaze became blank, red lips forming a straight line.

"Minato."

His beautiful wife. The mother of his child. Kami knew how bad he just wanted to throw himself into her arms and run his hands through her luscious red hair. He couldn't stop his gaze from travelling up her form, taking in her evening state of dress. She was wearing a modest black silk robe, reaching down to her thighs leaving her long legs on display, tied at the waist with a red cloth that accentuated her soft curves. Her beautiful long red hair was tied in a ponytail, two long bangs hanging off each side of her face.

So simple and yet so lovely.

He was apparently staring as she shifted, clearing her throat awkwardly, when his gaze lingered on her chest.

Despite the cold treatment, he ignored the way his heart ached, managing to force a small smile on his face. "Kushina-chan." He greeted. "How are you?"

A perfectly manicured red eyebrow rose.

Of course she could see through the smile. She knew him better than he knew himself.

"I should be asking you that same question." Her arms folded under her chest, gaze softening a tad in worry. "I heard what happened today at the Hyuuga Clan grounds." _Everyone _was talking about it.

"Good news sure does travel fast." He shook his head already anticipating the shit storm he would have to deal with tomorrow. For a ninja village people in Konoha sure did like to gossip.

"How's Hiashi-kun?" Minato pushed down the rising jealousy at such a personal honorific knowing Kushina was just worried about a long-time friend. He couldn't remember the last time she used _kun _in his name.

"Not doing so well." He answered honestly. "He's…grieving." As would any father. Yet seeing the normally composed and serious Hyuuga Leader weep like a dying man was an unforgettable sight.

There was only _two _times in his entire life where he could ever remember Hiashi reduced to such an emotional state.

The first: when his wife died at child birth.

The second: his twin brother sacrificing his life to save his.

And now the man watched his nephew kill his daughter before his very eyes.

"And Neji-kun?" Kushina questioned softly. "What's going to happen to him?"

Minato let out a deep sigh, running a hand through his hair. "Well…when we find him he'll be brought back to Konoha to face trial."

Her brows furrowed. "When?"

Minato gave a nod. "Yes. Neji is currently missing." She gasped placing a hand over her chest in worry.

"You… you don't think he wants to kill himself do you?" The genuine care in her beautiful eyes mesmerized him. He almost hadn't heard her as he focused on the way she bit her lips nervously, her pink tongue lightly moistening the flesh.

"I'm not sure." He really could only guess. The boy killed his cousin, nearly getting killed in return from the seal on his forehead, only to end up being banished by the grief stricken father.

Not many options for the young Genin.

"I have Itachi and the Military Police searching for him."

Her shoulders slumped in relief. "Good. If Itachi-kun is on the search then I'm positive they'll find him." Minato only gave a nod in agreement not really having anything to say. Husband and wife stood in the middle of their house staring at each other, the silence slowly becoming awkward as Kushina shifted nervously.

"Well…goodnight." She turned on her heel, leaving him to watch her back as she walked away from him.

It stung more than anything. She could just kill him, the act being a kindness compared to the treatment he received every day.

"Itachi said he met Naruto."

She immediately stopped, slowly turning to face him with a wide eyes.

Despite his internal torment, he smiled at her reaction, watching the way she slowly walked back to him.

"He asked for you." _It was always you._

"W-What did he say?" She was shaking in anxiety.

Both parents didn't even realize they mirrored each other.

Minato shrugged. "I didn't actually ask."

She openly gawked at him before her eyes narrowed, a noticeable tick mark forming on her head.

_Uh oh. _

Minato began to slowly back away as she edged closer to him with an unhappy scowl.

"You _didn't ask_?" Kushina questioned dangerously. "I haven't seen my baby boy in _years _because _someone_," She poked him in his chest for emphasis. "Decided it was a good idea to send our own son on some mission super-secret mission that no one knows about that turned him into a missing-nin… " As she started her rant, she edged towards him forcing him backwards, his back hitting a wall effectively pinning him under her withering glare. "So what type of _balls _do you have to stand before me and say _you didn't ask_?"

He could only lower his head in shame.

"Do you know what it's like!?" She shouted at him as her eyes started to tear. "Walking through this village each day hearing people whisper about our son."

_Their son is a traitor…_

_The bastard child…_

_Good riddance to the freak…_

_He was a genius. But an outcast…_

And she could only take it. Absorbing each word despite how much she wanted to retaliate, sworn to secrecy under the law of punishment. S-class secrets and all other types of bullshit.

"DO YOU!?"

The Fourth Hokage hung his head. The long bangs of his hair shadowed his face.

"He hates me." She had to strain her ears to hear him, his words barely audible in the silent mansion. "And you have every right to hate me as well."

He slowly raised his head to stare at her. Like an endless stream, tears fell from his eyes he offered her a broken smile.

"I'm a great Hokage." The best this village had ever seen. The statue of his face on the Hokage Mountain wasn't enough; they wrote books about him, plastered his picture on their walls. Men strived to be like him while women strived to be _with _him.

He was a shinobi of unparalleled prowess, unmatched in all the ninja arts. A genius said to come once in a generation – the very best that there ever was or yet to be.

And yet…

"I'm a bad husband…"

He was sworn to put Konoha before all else. All superficial needs: Be it himself, his own family –even his own life. _Everything_. If Konaha was the body than he was the mind, both needing each other to exist.

When he had started he had been young and willing to prove himself. Step into the shoes the legendary God of Shinobi had left for him, and prove to all who doubted him that he was ready. But in doing so he had neglected his wife and child, creating a rift that was too large to fill.

"I'm a terrible father..."

He loved them more than anything. But he couldn't balance them between Konoha. One _had_ to come first. The position demanded it. He steeled his heart and put his family behind him, choosing the village over everything else.

Only to come home to a son that wouldn't acknowledge him. A wife that didn't want to even look at him. A mansion for a house that felt empty even when the whole family was home. And at the end of the day he would sleep in an empty bed.

Alone.

He had never felt so… _lonely_… in a village who practically worshiped him.

"I know it's too late now…much too late." He cried. "But I can't stand to look at myself in the mirror anymore!" His fist slammed against the wall behind him rattling the mansion. "I hate myself!"

Kushina swallowed the lump in her throat as she watched her normally composed husband _cry._

"But after today…seeing Hiashi like _that._" He remembered the way the man collapsed, face baring the look of a man who had lost _everything._

The Fourth Hokage of Konoha, Minato Namikaze, dropped to his knees, pressed his head against the ground, and _begged _before his wife.

"Please forgive Kushina! Please!" He wailed. "I know I don't deserve it after everything I've done…b-but I want to change! I _will _change! Just give me a chance!"

Watching another parent have to see the sight of their own child taken away in a body bag can change a man. Show him the reality that family is more important than anything.

From the way Hiashi acted one would think he hated his daughter. In reality, the man loved her more than the very Hyuuga Clan itself. He didn't express it, and he certainly never – or in some rare occasions – showed it. But he _loved her._

And he probably regretted treating her the way he did now.

She should be angry. It was well within her rights to just walk away and leave him right where he was. But seeing her husband expose his heart before her, in an emotional offer for forgiveness, cracked away at the walls that she had surrounded herself in against him. Despite his many mistakes, and the decisions he made, she still loved him deeply.

She silently knelt to his level, reaching out with her hands to stroke the top of his head. The contact immediately made him lift his head from the ground revealing red, tear stained, puffy blue eyes.

Her eyes teared at the sight even though her mouth twisted into a smile.

"You...you look like a whimpy cry baby."

He stared for a few moments before his face grimaced, and a chuckle came out of his mouth that sounded more like a cry. It looked like he was about to let out another round of sobs before Kushina simply cradled his face in her hands and rested his head on top of her lap shushing him all the while.

He didn't deserve her.

An amazing woman like Kushina deserved better than him. The failure that was a husband and father. Yet, she forgave him. They stayed like that for a long while, _husband_ and _wife_, finally relishing in each others contact after years of alienation.

"I've waited so long for you to apologize to me." Her gentle whisper broke the silence. Gentle hands untied his headband, dropping the metal to the floor letting her fingers trace through his spiky blonde hair. "Five years of just hoping one day you'd just come out and say _I'm sorry_." She gave a deep exhale trying to steady the emotion in her voice. "S-Sorry for choosing the village over your family."

She lifted his head back up to stare down at his face. Minato felt his breath fade seeing the tears running down her face, her eyes shining like violet diamonds.

"I'm giving you your chance Minato." Her composure finally broke as a sob escaped her mouth. "P-Please don't hurt me anymore ..." Minato was already sitting up on his knees, wrapping his arms around her tightly.

"I _swear _to you Kushina, I won't hurt you ever again."

This was the promise of a lifetime.

"Bring him back..." She cried in his shoulder, "Just bring Naruto back to me!"

Minato felt his heart clench as he ran his fingers through her long hair. He was already expecting this, but wasn't prepared for it. He took a deep breath as he thought over how to word this to her.

If he ever wanted to earn her trust again, it was best to start with the truth.

"Kushina-chan...I'm going to tell you something that's going to be hard to hear." He gently pushed her head from his shoulder to stare directly into her face. Her eyes were red, and her cheeks were flushed from her crying. Even then she still looked beautiful.

"The mission that was given to Naruto..." He hesitated suddenly finding his throat dry. It was now or never. "For it to even begin it required him to leave the village."

She blinked as if she hadn't heard what he just said before her mouth opened, then closed, and finally opened once again.

"Are you telling me," She replied with forced calmness, "That our son had to _become_ a missin-nin to _start _his mission?" From what she was told, he had turned his back on Konoha after having failed said mission.

When Minato gave a shaky nod to answer her, she took deep steady breaths to calm the sudden rise of anger swelling insider her.

"Why?"

The word stirred memories buried deep in the recesses of his mind. His biggest failure. The deepest regret in all his years of being the Fourth Hokage of Konoha.

"I couldn't stop him," He mentioned in a sorrowful whisper. "He was always one step ahead of me..."

_'Why Naruto!? Why are you doing this!? You're my son you here me! My son! Let someone else go after them!'_

_The look he received in return was as if the thirteen year old in front of him was insulted._

_'I am your son.' Naruto agreed returning his expression back to neutrality. _

_Minato grit his teeth at the steady tone. He was so infuriatingly calm as he simply stared back at him; his face the perfect picture of calm despite the situation he was facing, the complete opposite to his father's. Did he not realize what he was going into?_

_'I am also a Shinobi: one who endures. If it means sacrificing myself for the greater good, than so be it.'_

_The rebuttal on his lips froze seeing Naruto's face change, the corner of his lips turning upwards into a small smile. His eyes, so much like his mothers conveyed all the emotion of what would be a final goodbye._

_'I'm not doing this just for Konoha. I know the threat that the village - maybe even the entire world - may face if that group begins to move.'_

_'So then why Naruto?' Minato questioned as his eyes teared. 'What's the reason to sacrifice yourself for this? This is your life you're putting in jeopardy to go after -'_

_'I'm doing this for her.'_

_The answer was worded as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. From the expression on his father's face, it wasn't expected. Time already coming to an end, and no longer having the mental fortitude to withstand his father's desperate pleas, Naruto turned his back to him. He took a few steps forward, stopping to stare at the gates of Konoha and looking directly ahead to the road that led out of the village._

_The sun was beginning to set, casting an orange glow over the horizon, bathing the vast forest of Fire Country in a perfect picture of serenity._

_Today was the tenth of July: his mother's birthday. H__e glanced upwards seeing a flock of birds fly through the air. _

_The emotion that he had been keeping at bay for so long could no longer be held, and tears suddenly spilled over as he imagined the heartache he would cause, everything that he would be leaving behind. The rising emotions gave way to doubts and insecurities with the lingering fear of second thoughts. It was all ruthlessly crushed, locked away like a bird in a cage in the blackest corners of his heart. He had chosen his path, and he would live...and die with it._

_This was it._

_'T-Take care of mom for me.'_

_Minato took a step forward, a hand raised as Naruto's name rolled off the tip of his tongue. But before he could even begin to move, Naruto vanished in an amazing burst of speed. Minato wasted no time in palming a his three-pronged kunai, and threw the blade in over head arc. It landed on the ground near the gates before Naruto did, and Minato prepared to teleport to block his path._

_Only to be confused as nothing happened._

_He looked downwards just in time to catch a sealing formula etched into the ground disappear. He didn't have time to question when or how as he looked up in time just to catch Naruto's back as he sped __through the gates of Konoha, out of the village, and into the horizon._

_Minato was shocked out of his stupor as the Thunder God finally activated and he was suddenly beside his kunai._

_He payed it no attention, simply staring straight ahead at the now empty empty road. _

_He was gone._

_His son had just ran straight out of the village before his eyes._

_He suddenly felt light headed. His vision was beginning to grow dark and he began to sway on his feet. The last thing Minato saw before unconsciousness took him were the small, almost unnoticeable, tear drops staining the ground._

Kushina's face had turned an unhealthy pale.

"N-Naruto left...for me?"

Minato gave a careful nod. "They're hunting tailed beast Kushina."

_I am a Shinobi: one who endures._

"Who?" She questioned suddenly feeling nausea swelling up in the pits of her stomach.

_I'm doing this for her._

"Akatsuki." Minato answered hesitantly, watching the way her eyes fluttered. "Are you okay Kushina-chan?"

"No...I think I'm going to ..." Her world was spinning and everything was becoming dark.

Her eyes shut, unconsciousness finally taking over as her form fell backwards.

Minato was there to catch her, gently cradling her body against his. He stared at her deceptively peaceful face only imagining the turmoil she must be experiencing right now. He sighed heavily. What an eventful day.

He secured her tight as he stood to his feet, taking care not to stir her.

As he walked through the Hokage Mansion, up the stairs leading to the master bedroom him and his wife had once shared, his son's words echoed through his mind.

_Take care of mom for me..._

* * *

He had been running for days.

To him it felt like weeks.

There was no going back to Konoha. The only thing that waited for him was a jail cell and a one way trip to Konoha's Strict Correctional Facility.

_You're nothing to me._

Was this his fate?

To be offered the freedom he always longed for only to be banished.

Almost like a caged bird giving the key to its release. Having been imprisoned for so long, what would it even know to do with its freedom?

What was he to do with his life?

He stumbled during his frantic sprints, exhaustion finally claiming him as he collapsed to a rolling stop.

_Get up! _He internally screamed, wheezing as he pulled himself to his feet. Konoha would no doubt send a search party after him. And he had a feeling it would be the powerful Police Captain leading the search.

The muscles in his body strained themselves to the limits, the amount of energy expelled just to stand up leaving him breathless.

His chakra reserves were dangerously low, his byakugan receded long ago to save as much as possible.

"Gotta … (_pant_)_…._keep …moving." He took a heavy step forward.

Something caught his attention.

Even without his byakugan, his gaze was unnaturally sharp. He looked to the horizon, focusing on orange light of setting sun, to the gentle sway of the pine trees that layered the country.

_Something _moved.

In the trees. Like a slithering shadow amongst the trees.

Focusing as little chakra as possible ignoring the strain in his eyes, his byakugan activated, the world suddenly filling with clarity as a nearly three-hundred and sixty degree view became his sight.

He gasped in alarm. He flinched so hard that he tripped over his feet, falling backwards onto a broken branch.

The sound was akin to a gunshot in the silent forest.

Approximately fifty metres in front of him, climbing in the tall trees, what could only be described as humanoid looking creatures hissed in his direction.

Neji's eyes widened at what he was seeing, his body beginning to shake violently.

"W-W-Wha…" He was shaking so bad he couldn't even speak properly. The chakra those…_things _were giving off was so foul the very trees began die from their proximity, the bark turning black as hundreds of leaves fell to the ground.

_Dead_.

The largest creature was a hulking figure, suddenly jumping from the tree it was on, quadrupedal in nature as it landed on all fours, opening its mouth impossibly wide with a long, snake like tongue tasting the air. The three creatures surrounding it mirrored its posture all beginning to crawl in his direction.

Adrenaline started pumping through his veins as an instinct screaming for him to _RUN _took over.

He was already sprinting before they moved.

Sprinting with all the desperation of natural human instinct warning him to get away.

There was an almost supernatural, bone chilling screech that came from behind him, his byakugan showing him the creatures giving chase.

He pumped what little chakra he had left into his legs as he the creatures steadily gained on him, their speed unnaturally superior to his. He pushed his muscles to go past their limits, ignoring the pain of tearing ligaments and tendons as he pushed himself to run faster than he ever had in his thirteen years of life.

All he could hear was the sound of his own breathing as he ran; the frantic pump of his hearts sounding like drumbeats to his ears.

_There!_

At the edge of the range of his byakugan, a village came into view.

He headed straight for it, the hisses behind him growing louder with each step he took. If there were people in the small village than maybe the distraction would turn their attention away from him. The act was selfishly cruel, but at the moment, all he wanted was to _survive._

_Live..._

When the village finally came into clear view he couldn't stop himself from stumbling in shock.

The burning buildings are what he saw first; the small village empty, devoid of life save for the dirt streets that were _littered _with human corpses that looked like they had been eating alive.

The distraction had cost him.

A hiss was his only warning before the largest of the creatures barreled into him with a snarl.

"_Gah_!"

The blow was so swift and sudden he heard the _crack _of what could only be a bone breaking as he was sent flying from the impact. The world was spinning as he sailed through the air before letting out a cough of blood, the wind knocked out of him, as he landed in a heap, rolling through the bloody streets.

Chakra reserves on the cusp of empty, his byakugan finally receded as he let out a gasp. His right arm felt limp as he tried to move it, and he turned seeing the appendage bent awkwardly, a bone protruding from his wrist.

_S-S-S-s-s-s-s!_

He glanced in front of him seeing the creatures that had chased him across the country side. There were four of them, all grotesque in appearance, hissing as they edged closer to him. He never seen such disgusting beings, creatures only found in nightmares or horror movies.

Clawed fingers, fangs, glowing yellow eyes, and gray skin ...Neji would have vomited if he wasn't so paralysed in fear.

His instincts still screamed for him to run, his body subconsciously trying to move as he realized he was already trying to crawl. His own body not needing his mind to instruct it to put distance between himself and these _things._

They edged closer and closer, hissing, screeching with saliva dripping from their mouths as they slowly closed in. With a roar, the large one pounced.

This was it.

Despite everything, Neji's life didn't flash before his eyes. He neither closed his eyes nor claim to see a premonition as so many who had near death experiences confessed. There was nothing; just his open eyes watching with a bated breath as this creature closed in to rip him to –

_Slick!_

He flinched as red blood splattered across his face.

The monster was suspended in the air directly over him, a sword pierced directly through its open mouth leaving it impaled. Dead.

His wide eyes took in the length of the sword that had saved him, the blade extended to an unnatural length as it suddenly retracted, gravity taking over as the body of the dead creature landed on his legs.

The remaining beings gave a screech of fury, the chakra they were giving off visible to the naked eye, before they charged forward with speed Neji could never hope to match. He flinched as they rushed past, ignoring him to focus on the unknown figure that had saved him.

Neji used his legs to push away the dead body, momentarily pausing in shock as the body _changed. _The ash grey skin receded revealing a human skin tone underneath, the body shrinking in size to reveal the complexion of a man, the silver hair on his head strangely familiar.

And that face….he recognized it!

"Mizuki…" The teacher from the academy. The man had been missing for months.

A roar drew his attention and he quickly turned to see only one of the creatures remaining, his saviour being revealed to his eyes.

Black cloak with red clouds swaying gently in the wind, the man – at least what he thought was a man – parried a swipe of the creatures claw with a sword. He had a chance to directly witness the strange abilities the blade had as the sword suddenly extended, the blade swung in a wide arc, immediately cleaving the creature in half.

Once again, he witnessed the ashen gray skin receding, this time revealing the visage of woman, long blonde locks doused with blood.

The man flicked his wrist expelling the blood off his blade, slowly turning his face to regard the runaway Hyuuga.

His skin was pale – _unnaturally_ pale. But that wasn't what had his attention. It was the glowing yellow, _snake like _eyes that regarded him curiously, a grin forming to reveal fanged teeth.

"Well…" The tone was silky, almost hissing in nature. "What do we have here?"

Neji's body refused to move as the man walked closer to him, the burning village seeming to illuminate his form.

"A Hyuuga." He said looking at Neji's eyes. Yellow eyes surveyed him, the open hunger in the man's gaze caused Neji to shiver. "Now, now don't be afraid." The man cooed, stooping to his level to gently reach down and stroke his face.

The touch was cold.

Up close Neji recognized the man. One of the most wanted criminals in Konoha's history. "Y-You're O-Oroch…c-chi…" He trailed off as he began to stutter.

Orochimaru grinned at the boys fear. "Hush, hush child. You must have been so afraid of these nasty _beasts. _" His eyes momentarily flickered to the slain creatures. "Failed experiments I suppose." He said almost regrettably.

Neji gawked at the man. "E-Experiments?"

The man nodded smugly. "Yessss." He hissed softly. "But that's not important. I _saved _you didn't I?" He tilted his head at the boy, a grin on his face. Neji noticed the blue, tomoe-shaped earrings the man was wearing.

Neji nodded hesitantly. "Y-Ye…"

The man's thumb stroked his cheek. "Come now my dear boy, enough with that irritating stutter. I'm not going to hurt you." He whispered soothingly.

Despite the warnings going off in his head, his body relaxed, the adrenaline finally wearing off.

"What is your name?"

"Neji." He answered.

The man patted his head, rising gracefully to his feet. "Well then Neji-kun, I bid you a good evening."

With that said the man turned on his heel and began to walk away.

"Oh and do be on the lookout for those beasts." He called over his shoulder, tone layered with mocking concern. "More are certainly in the area."

"Wa…wait!" Neji shouted after him, struggling and failing to get to his feet. "You can't just leave me here!"

The man stopped, turning to regard him with a deceptively feminine raised eyebrow "Oh?" Orochimaru inquired curiously. "Why can't I?"

Despite the teasing tone, the question was actually asked with seriousness as the man shifted to walk away when the boy just gawked at him.

"I…because…." The man had no reason to stay with him, less so than risk his life and save him. He was covered in dirt, sweat and blood. A runaway from Konoha that had the Military Police searching for him. He was nothing.

"Take me with you!"

His brain finally caught up to his mouth but before he could even blink, the man was suddenly in front of him, the cold feel of sharp steel pressed against his throat.

"You're far way from Konoha little birdy." The man grinned at him. "What purpose does it serve me to take a runaway Hyuuga under my wing?" How the man known his status, Neji could only guess.

"I'll…" What could he offer to one of the legendary Sannin, an S-ranked criminal listed in all the worlds' bingo books?

"I'll serve you!" He shouted in desperation.

There was nothing left for him. No home to return to. He was excommunicated from his clan, labeled forever to wear the seal on his forehead. The moment he returned to Konoha he would be arrested.

"My life is yours!"

Orochimaru's eyes glinted as his smirk widened ever so slightly. "Interestingggg. You would swear your life to me, to serve and obey little bird?"

"Yes." Neji said seriously. "I swear."

Orochimaru's tongue slithered out his mouth to lick his lips hungrily. Who was he to refuse such a promising young boy? At the least, it was a golden opportunity to gain the byakugan.

_Like a lamb lead to the slaughter, ignorant to the very end_ Orochimaru grinned. Yes, this boy would do nicely.

"Come than Neji-kun." Neji watched as the man's sword recede, vanishing beneath his sleeves as he offered his hand. "We must make haste to Sound Village."

Neji accepted the hand with his left arm, not having the energy to question the location of this _Sound Village _as the man lifted him to his feet. His legs wobbled, but under the man's expectant gaze he tried to appear strong.

Orochimaru chuckled at the display. "Good! Your will is strong boy. But don't attempt to fool me when you look like the wind could blow you over. "

Neji would have bowed if the action wasn't so painful. "Forgive me Orochimaru-sama."

The Sannin clicked his tongue. "Hmm. Looks like I'll have to carry you." With his speed, they could reach the Sound Village by dawn. He wanted to put as much distance between him and Konoha as possible.

_He was being hunted._

He put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Climb on to my back."

Neji nodded, moving behind the man.

_Slick!_

It literally came out of nowhere.

Something small and white, crackling with lightning as it sailed through the air, pierced right through Orochimaru's chest, the impact blasting the front of his black robe open, nicking Neji's headband as it blasted forward.

Orochimaru let out a hiss of pain, Neji falling off him onto his back as the object continued its path, piercing through buildings as it whistled through the air.

Neji's head hit the ground, his headband falling off his head as the knot untangled. It clattered to the ground, showing Neji the horizontal line sliced into the leaf symbol.

He heard Orochimaru gasp and saw the man staring at something in front of him, holding a hand over the gaping hole in his chest. He followed his gaze seeing a figure walking forward out of the burning smoke of the village.

It was more of a stride, oozing with purpose as the figure strutted forward with a walk that gave an electrifying sense of dread. It was the walk of a _hunter_, utterly calm and confident, powerful with each unhurried step. The flames seemed to dance around him, only accentuating the already dangerous presence this mysterious figure gave off.

The figure raised his hand, continuing his stride as _something _white shot from his arm with the sound of a gunshot, the speed it traveled too fast to see.

He only heard Orochimaru scream as the object pierced him, the man lifted from his feet and sent careening through the village, only coming to a stop as he hit a burning building, the object impaling him to a wall.

He wanted to scream for his newly sworn master but his mouth refused to open, his body locking itself up as his instincts screamed for him to remain _silent_ as the figure walked past him.

He took in a bulky grey vest, lither and more form fitting than normal flak jacket design. Even stranger was the mask on his face, the shape in what could only be described as an upside down triangle, slightly indented at the top with an owl faced design, the colors almost hypnotising to look at. He was covered in black clothing, with a large utility pouch on his back finishing his appearance.

The man passed him without a glance, the back of his head revealing blonde hair as the eye holes of the mask focused directly at the Sannin pinned.

"I almost feel sorry for you Orochimaru." Neji's ears strained to pick up the voice, shivering as the deep baritone caused a chill to travel along his spine. "Your allegiance to that pathetic organization."

The man gasped, vainly trying to pull out the spear of bone impaled against his chest.

"The trouble with loyalty to a cause … is that the cause will _always_ betray you."

"You!" The man hissed in fury, blood spilling out the corners of his mouth. "I should have known!"

The man stopped to stand before the impaled Sannin, a hand reaching up to remove his mask.

Violet eyes, inherited from his mother, stared at the Sannin. A face so much like the man that had stolen the title of Hokage from his grasp, peered up at him blankly.

Orochimaru's struggles increased tenfold. But no matter how much he pushed the object wouldn't budge. His chakra network was in haywire, the simple act of molding his chakra impossible. _His chakra is affecting me! _

"Who!" He spat with venom. "Who sent you!?"

A cruel smirk tugged at his lips. "Who do you think?"

The Sannin stilled. His eyes going wide as realization struck him. He didn't have time to ponder the betrayal as a humming sound filled the air. The man held up his hand, the chakra emitting visible to the eye as it condensed, rotating at high speeds into a sphere. It gave off a brilliant blue glow before it suddenly turned red, the heat the jutsu started giving off causing the material of his cloak to start burning.

Orochimaru was in awe at the display of nature manipulation, the spinning ball of fire solidifying, a red nucleus visible in the centre as it the heat began to melt through his skin. _Such power!_

"Your Leader sends his regards."

"DAMN YOU BOY! I CURSE YOUR EXISTENCE!"

"_Fire Release... _"

"**NARUTO**!"

"_Rasen-storm_!"

Neji had to shield his eyes lest be blinded by the brilliant red glow. The heat it gave off stung his skin, causing him to groan as he withered through it.

When the heat finally receded he hesitantly lifted his head from the safety of his arms, his eyebrows going past his hairline as he surveyed the damage.

The ground where Orochimaru had once been was charred black, nothing but ashes of what once remained. The fires seemed to stretch on for miles, even reaching the surrounding forest, the trees burning in the distance.

He honestly had no words.

"Hmm."

He gasped, quickly turning to the voice behind him seeing the man that had just killed the Snake Sannin peering down at him curiously. The man absently tossed something into the air repeatedly, catching with his left hand, before he repeated the motion.

It was revealed to be a blue ring, with the kanji for 'void'on it as the man slipped onto his left pinky finger. Plum blue eyes peered at him seriously, a hand on his hip as the man traced the mask attached to his belt.

Mask off, Neji stared at his face in amazement, taking in the long blonde bangs and the whiskered, pale face. He looked exactly like the Fourth Hokage!

"How much do you think you're worth?"

Neji blinked at the question. "Pardon?" _How much he was worth?_

The man flexed his wrist, what looked like… _bone…_began protruding out the appendage as it slithered out like a blade.

For the second time that day, something sharp was pressed against his throat.

"Yourself." He reiterated. "I hear Kumo pays a mean figure for a Hyuuga."

* * *

_**Well that's the first chapter folks. First chapter is always the hardest for some reason, and it's usually the worst, but I think this wasn't too shabby.**_

_**Read and Review people. Never expected writing to feel so good. Back in business baby!**_

**_Edit: 2015-07-05 - Chapter has been revised and had small changes made _**


	2. Choice and Consequence

_**And the award for the worst update speed goes to...**_

**_Sorry. Anyways an update. I've constantly been busy and finally after 'months' scored some down time. So I've been catching up on my writing. Also, I've been hearing your shouts for a Yellow Fang update loud and clear. It's currently at 50% complete and I'm taking my time with it, cause it must deliver after a full year of no updates. And it will. Just bare with me. You wouldn't believe how close these stories came to being 'dead.'_**

**_So for now, enjoy. This story is going to be the underdog to it's big bother. Oh yes, I modified the first chapter (2015-07-05), specifically the Kushina and Minato dialogue. So if you're up for re-reading give that another read over. First chapter is always hard to write but I'm satisfied with it now._**

* * *

_Nobody ever did, or ever will, escape the consequences of his choices._

_Alfred A. Montapert_

* * *

Sharingan eyes surveyed the charred blackened ground warily.

What was once a small village was reduced to nothing but a burning pile of ash. The Police Captain knelt towards the ground letting his fingers trace the dirt.

It was still hot.

He examined the ash on his fingers before turning his gaze up towards the horizon, taking in the sight of lingering fires still burning across the village, and beyond. Even the surrounding forest suffered the same fate, many of the trees already having been burnt to the ground.

He expanded his senses feeling the nearby chakra signatures of his squad, but beyond that there was a heavy pressure in the air. A distant feel of another chakra presence.

It was powerful, _ominous _even with a distinct feel of darkness to it. Not wholly considered dark, but not very bright either. An uncommon grey. It had a chilling feel to it; the same feeling he felt when he met a certain individual not too long ago.

'_Naruto._'

There was no mistaking it; the feel of this chakra was certainly Naruto's.

'_He must have encountered Orochimaru here._' Itachi thought.

That was the only logical explanation. His long-time friend must have hunted Orochimaru down to this village, and by the looks of the nearby surroundings most certainly must have _finished _him.

Itachi raised himself erect dusting off the ash from his hands.

If Orochimaru was dead there would have to be evidence of the Sannin's demise. Not very likely considering everything in the vicinity was ash. It was testament to Naruto's ability and Itachi's own surety in his prowess that the Sannin was truly dead.

"Captain you need to see this!"

The alarmed shout had Itachi moving across the village in a blur of speed. Nearby fires parted as he appeared beside his frightened squad member soundlessly. The man flinched at the arrival, only relaxing after seeing the calm gaze of Itachi's sharingan.

"Inabi." Itachi greeted with a nod. "What is it?"

The long haired Uchiha simply pointed a shaky finger.

"L-Look." He pointed.

Itachi followed his direction and his eyes widened.

Not many things could take the young police captain by surprise but the sight in front of him had Itachi shocked down to the core.

He felt the incoming chakra source of his third member as a robust looking Akimichi member made the ground shudder as he landed.

"Captain no signs of …" He promptly trailed off finally noticing what the rest of his squad was seeing.

Directly in front of the three men stood a long pike of what looked like _bone_ indented into the ground. On that pike was a charred set of bones pierced right through the skull down to the pelvis bone, dangling in the wind.

If the sight wasn't disturbing enough it was the white snake impaled at the very top of the pike that made for an unsettling image. The body of the snake lightly moved in the wind as blood dripped from its body down to the skull below. The liquid moved downwards till it spilled over into the empty eye-holes of the skull, making it seem as if the skeleton was crying tears of _blood_.

Itachi had to force his eyes away from the scene. He was expecting Orochimaru to be dead but _this _was just too disturbing to continue looking at.

He turned to his two squad members to seeing them gawking at the sight. The fear was visible in their eyes, but there gazes were locked onto the scene, unable to look away from it.

"That's enough gawking." The calm quiet voice of the police captain snapped them out of their stupor. "Inabi," The man's spine straightened as he was addressed. "Prepare a small satellite for a wireless signal to be sent back to Konoha. The Hokage needs to learn of this right away."

The long haired Uchiha member still had his sharingan fixated on the bones of the Sannin as his eyes flickered back and forth between it and Itachi nervously. He swallowed audibly, finally tearing his gaze away from the sight, acquiescing with a nod as he took off.

"Maruten, do a final sweep of the area. Report back to me in ten." The large, bo armed man saluted before taking off in a burst of speed leaving Itachi to watch his back as he disappeared.

A bark caught his attention and he turned to see his final squad member rushing up to him with her three canine partners.

"Hana." He greeted the Inuzuka member. "Any traces of Neji?"

The sole female member of his squad greeted him, before her mouth dropped opened at the scene. She would have remained staring if Itachi hadn't cleared his throat to gain her attention. Eyes briefly flickering back to the provoking sight, she shook her head causing a long brown pony tail to sway.

"There's been no sign of him other than a slight residue of chakra and …" She hesitated biting her red lips with a sharp fang nervously.

"What is it?" Itachi prompted

Hana wordlessly turned to one of Three Haimaru Brothers and the one in the middle slowly trotted forward and stopped before Itachi. Realizing the canine had something in his mouth Itachi lowered himself to knee level with the animal and opened his hand.

A melted, charred leaf headband was deposited in his hand.

Itachi stared at the headband long and hard till the canine in front of him began to whine sensing the shift in his mood. He soothed the animal with gentle pats to the head raising himself to his feet, wordlessly thanking Hana with a nod.

"Captain the satellite is ready for use." Inabi appeared beside him already finished setting up the device. "For the best signal the satellite is set up outside of the village this way." Itachi didn't say a word as he allowed the man to lead him to the radio sight.

The satellite was small, only the size of his hand but attached to a pole the length of his body; powerful enough to transmit a radio signal from one side of the country to the other. Inabi stopped at a fair distance, enough to give Itachi some privacy as he stood guard.

Itachi fingered the headset in his ear turning it on with the push of button. With a direct line to the Hokage's office it only took a few seconds for the signal to go through.

Taking a deep breath, he mentally prepared on how to drop the news to the Hokage of the events that had transpired. He glanced downwards one more time at the headband in his hand.

Despite its blackened state, the horizontal slash across the leaf symbol was still visible.

He dismissed his own thoughts as the voice of the Fourth Hokage finally answered and Itachi took a deep breath before he spoke.

"Hokage-sama."

* * *

There was a certain thrill to bounty hunting.

The adrenaline rush of chasing down a target, the euphoria of catching said targeting and _ending _them. Or in some cases just capturing them. Words couldn't explain the feeling, it was just something one had to experience for his or herself.

And he was the _best_.

If you were a bounty it wasn't a matter of _if _he would catch you, it was only a matter of _when_. There wasn't a bounty alive who had ever escaped him and he would like to keep it that way. He had a reputation to uphold, the so called 'boogeyman' of the nations. A stupid title in his opinion. Probably created by parents to scare their kids. It apparently worked as he remembered hearing a town going on lockdown at the 'sighting' of him in the area. Which wasn't true, it was just some blasted thief doing a terrible impersonation.

Yet with all the fear, came all the respect. An unprecedented infamy across the lands, a picture of his face being produced in every bingo book in the nations with a clear letters in red that read 'Warning.'

He was simply too good: trained and bred to perfection to be the 'perfect' soldier of Konoha. The power flowing his bones giving him an edge to any shinobi when it came to physical combat. That's why he was given this mission. The one to distinguish him as a shinobi.

His final mission as a Shinobi of Konoha: The destruction of the criminal organisation Akatsuki.

Step one was almost complete: Infiltrate the organisation.

With the death of Orochimaru he acquired the former Sannin's ring. He would need it to fill the empty spot that the man had vacated.

Then step two would be initiated: Destroy the organisation from the _inside_. Kill each and every member and _anyone _associated with the group that made the mistake of needing tailed beast for whatever plan that they were brewing. If all went well then the Akatsuki threat would be dealt with. Worst case scenario was getting his cover blown.

There was the possibility of him dying too.

He only had one problem as of now.

Deep in the forest of country, sprawled out on a log comfortable enough for sitting, Naruto stared at a blissfully sleeping face.

Resting on the ground before him, placed on a bed of leaves was the Hyuuga boy.

He could only imagine the pay day he would receive if he brought a Hyuuga to Kumogakure. The Raikage would no doubt reward him splendidly with a check that would keep his funds steady for _years. _

If he was a lesser man he would have already been across the border of Lightning Country right now. But he wasn't. Despite the reputation and notoriety he was known for, he was _still _a shinobi of Konoha. He wouldn't harm a leaf shinobi if he didn't have to. Much less sell one.

He hopped off the log he was resting on, breaking it apart and gathering the wood on the ground. He gathered a bit of chakra into his mouth, moulding it with elemental manipulation, and spit out a small ball of fire into the pile.

He purposefully made the fire bright, feeding it enough wood to burn steady throughout the night. If any nearby Konoha shinobi were in the area, they would definitely spot the light emitting from the fire.

He stood over the young Hyuuga staring him down, taking note of his haggard appearance. The bandages around his head were ripped away revealing the curse mark of a branch member.

A runaway he presumed. From what he had seen a few hours ago, about to follow after Orochimaru if it wasn't for his timely intervention. The boy groaned in his sleep and Naruto glanced at his arm seeing a bone protruding from his skin.

He knelt down to get a better look at it, gently grasping the boy's arm as he surveyed the damage.

The radius bone in his right arm had snapped. From the way it was protruding the cause seemed to be from blunt force trauma. Those vile creatures had been lurking in the area before he arrived, so he guessed this boy had a run it with them.

Naruto held up his right index finger moulding his chakra through the digit, manipulating the bone of his distal phalange breaking the skin open allowing a needle of sharp bone to protrude out. With his other hand, he held the spot that had the bone sticking out of the boy's arm, and with a quick squeeze, _snapped _it back into place.

The pain jostled the boy awake as he began to scream from the pain. His byakugan activated on reflex and he instantly struck with a palm strike in the direction of Naruto's face.

To Naruto, it seemed if the boy was moving in slow motion. He simply slapped the palm away with his hand as if it was an annoying bug, before pinning his arm to the ground. The boy grit his teeth instantly using his feet to try and kick him, but Naruto simply shifted his knees, effectively pinning the boy's legs before he could lift them off the ground.

The young Hyuuga struggled with all his might but the man top of him held the weight of an unmovable object. He couldn't even lift his arm against the man's strength. And from the look on his face it seemed as if he wasn't even trying.

"Who the hell are … you…" Naruto watched as the boy trailed off as recognition struck his features and he began to shiver under him as he no doubt remembered what had just happened to a certain snake a few hours ago.

"P-Please d-d-don't…" He began to stutter as his shaking increased. Naruto's gaze didn't waver but internally, his heart softened seeing tears running down the side of his face.

"Relax." The steady baritone of his voice made the genin flinch. "I'm not going to harm you."

His shaking lessened, but didn't stop as he gave a shaky nod in understanding, not trusting his voice as he kept his mouth closed.

Naruto stared at him for a few moments before he slowly shifted, lifting his knees off the boy's legs and letting go of his arm. Still watching him for any sudden movements, Naruto let his gaze drift back to his broken arm and let his bone needle gently poke the skin of his arm.

"I'm going to fix your arm for you." Naruto explained seeing his slack jawed stare. "The radius bone in your right arm has been snapped. I pushed it back into place but it is still broken."

"H-How?" Naruto glanced at his face seeing the Hyuuga staring at his chest. That byakugan probably showed him his skeletal structure right now.

Naruto ignored him as he laid a hand against his chest to keep him down.

"This is going to hurt."

That was his only warning as he let the sharp bone needle pierce into his skin, right through the hard material of his bone down into the marrow. The hand on the boy kept him down as he instantly began to thrash against the pain.

At the source of the fracture Naruto focused to keep his concentration steady. He breathed deeply as he felt the boy's chakra signature, taking note of its clouded nature. What was once bright and warm had been reduced to a cold and lonely feel.

Something must have affected him drastically for such a change to take effect.

He moulded his chakra to match the boy's specific signature, the adaptation a success as his chakra transferred down through his bone needle, into the boy's arm, and straight into the marrow of his fractured bone.

The Hyuuga let out a loud shudder as he felt Naruto's chakra trace through his arm. It was akin to having electricity travel through his bones as he felt it felt like the appendage was about to be blown off by the sudden source of raw power coursing through it.

As quick as the process started, it was over as the man removed the bone needle from his arm, allowing it to recede into his finger, the open skin healing itself to perfect.

The boy jumped to his feet, quickly backtracking to put distance between him and Naruto.

He stared at his now healed arm in a mixture of awe and horror. The skin was perfectly unmarked, the ugly purple bruise signifying his broken arm gone. He gasped feeling his chakra reserves back to normal. His pale eyes found Naruto's.

"H-H-How…." What he had just witnessed was out of the realm of possibility.

Rolling his eyes Naruto raised himself to his feet as he flexed his fingers, causing cracks so loud they caused the young boy to flinch.

He stared at the open mouthed look of horror on the genin's face before he decided to answer him, allowing the bones of his ribcage to _shift_, knowing those eyes allowed him to see right inside of him.

"This is my power." Naruto answered.

The kekkei genkai of the now extinct Kaguya Clan flowed through his skeletal structure, gifted to him through _unfortunate _circumstances.

The boy's eyes were so wide Naruto was afraid they would fall out of his head.

Naruto's chakra was heavily suppressed to keep his large reserves unnoticeable but that brief show of bone manipulation had given the boy a brief glimpse of the power underneath.

"W-What are you?" He stuttered taking hesitant steps back.

Good. The naked fear on his face would make him stay away.

Naruto turned his back to him as he removed the mask on his belt and clipped it to his face. He took a few steps towards the forest before he paused, turning his head to regard the boy over his shoulder.

"Whatever crime you committed, as if now it doesn't matter." He watched as the boy's head lowered in shame. "It's a consequence you will have to live with."

"I…I d–." Tears started to flow from the young man's eyes. "I don't know what to even do?"

Naruto's mask shifted back to the forest, silently reflecting on his own life as he thought of answer.

"As of now, the only thing you can do is make the choice you'll regret the least_._" He missed the way pale eyes snapped to his back. "That's all life really is after all: choices and the decisions we make." He didn't see the Hyuuga take a step towards him, with his hands raised.

"W-Wai –"

"Take care." Naruto whispered.

He took off in a burst of speed leaving the boy behind, becoming nothing but a blur as he sped through the forest. Powerful legs pushed him forward increasing his speed as he tore through the trees, making sure to keep his footsteps silent as he traveled.

* * *

He was going steady for an hour, traveling in silence as he kept his gaze focused on reaching his destination: Tanzuku Gai

His head suddenly turned as something stirred at the edge of his senses. _Someone _was following him.

He was impressed considering the speed he was traveling. Wanting to get the jump early he stopped suddenly, his legs absorbing the strain as he slid to a grinding halt.

Behind his mask, his gaze narrowed as he surveyed the still forest.

Other than the occasional scurry of animals native to the forest, and chirp of crickets, there was nothing but silence.

Whoever was following had stopped.

Naruto suddenly twisted abruptly, his arm extended, index and thumb formed into a makeshift gun as a piece of bone shot out of his finger with the speed of a bullet, piecing through a nearby pine tree with a _thump._

He stared at the small hole he had just made into the seemingly innocent tree with a fierce glare.

Beside the wounded tree, the bark of another pine tree began to shift; something beginning to emerge revealing a dual coloured visage, one side black, and the other white, perfectly balanced down the centre like a ying-yang symbol.

"You _missed_." A deceptively masculine voice spoke with a teasing tilt. "**Have you already recognized our signature young hunter**?" Where the first voice was soft and light, this one was dark and filled with malice.

"Zetsu." Naruto acknowledged as he lowered his arm. The gesture showing he didn't register the Akatsuki information gatherer as a threat. If the black and white humanoid was insulted, he didn't show it. "I figured it was you following me."

The 'white' Zetsu's grin seemed to widen as more of his body emerged out of the tree, revealing his green hair and insectivorous plant-like shell.

"So you _have_ recognized our signature." Only after meeting him once. "**Impressive.**"

While the White Zetsu had a mouth filled with blunted teeth, the black side, all though still humanoid, lacked any visible orifices.

"What do you want?"

Zetsu shifted slightly, round yellow eyes of both sides peering at him with an eerie glow in the darkness.

"I must say, that was quite the display you put on in that small village."

Naruto's eyes narrowed behind his mask. "So you've been watching me." With the chakra signatures of Orochimaru, the Hyuuga and those disgusting creatures it was too much for his senses to focus on discerning every signature in the area.

"But of course!" White Zetsu answered with a grin. "**We had to see for ourselves the prowess of the **_**Bone Collector.**_" They weren't disappointed.

Naruto took note that Zetsu referred to himself as a 'he', making him male, with the identification of self being 'we.' Even more interesting was the fact that the two voices spoke in complete harmony.

"As to why we're here, **we've come to offer you a formal invitation to the Akatsuki organisation. **You're assassination of Orochimaru has proven your dedication. **No simple task given the Sannin's reputation.**"

"I'm going to miss that old snake." White Zetsu said suddenly. "Despite how creepy and weird he was – not to mention that disgusting habit of coughing things out of his_ mouth_ –" He emphasised the word with a slightly disgusted face. "He was an alright fellow." He was silent for a few moments before visibly perking up. "Hey, Naruto, did you leave a body behind?" He questioned with genuine hope.

Behind his mask, Naruto _stared._

"…Yes? No? Maybe? Not su– **Shut up.**" A small pause. "Meany."

Black Zetsu gave an exasperated sigh bringing back the conversation to serious. "**Do you have Orochimaru's ring?**"

Naruto simply help up his pinky finger displaying a blue ring with the kanji for _void. _

"**Excellent**, **consider it yours. Now focus your chakra into the ring.**" He instructed.

"Why?" Naruto immediately questioned, preparing to throw the ring straight through one of his yellow eyes if there was any ulterior motives.

"**Our leader wishes to contact you.**" Black Zetsu answered with forced patience. Naruto was unnerved by the large grin he received.

_Taking orders from an aloe vera looking plant man _Naruto thought snidely. He made sure to keep his eyes on the man as he did as instructed and focused his chakra into the ring. It immediately began to glow and Naruto felt as if his chakra was almost being…broadcasted.

Someone was on the receiving end.

He tensed as an image materialised before him. It was humanoid in shape, flickering in place as if it was receiving electronic interference. The image was entirely transparent except for the eyes.

The first thing he took note of was the purple sclera and irises. What dropped his mouth open behind his mask was the ripple-pattern that spread over the eyeballs.

What only existed as pictures in ancient scrolls and text was now staring at him in interest.

The Rinnegan.

"_Naruto Namikaze._" The image greeted. The sound was heavily distorted and filled with static.

Naruto took a few moments to compose himself. "You're… the Leader of Akatsuki I presume?"

"_That is correct. I am Pain: A god who will bring peace and justice to this world_. "

Naruto's brow raised underneath his mask. A 'god.' Really? As the ring patterned eyes watched him steady, Naruto looked right through him to see Zetsu watching the conversation with interest.

_I'm the son of Zeus born on mount Olympus originating from the Andromeda Galaxy…_

Is what he wanted to say. But all that came out was a disgruntled:

"Right."

The rinnegan narrowed at him. "_You doubt my power_?" The so called 'god' questioned.

"No." Naruto answered keeping his tone borderline polite. "I know you must be powerful to lead such an organisation as Akatsuki, but calling yourself a god?" His broad shoulders shrugged. "I've heard that _too _many times."

Those eyes regarded him in silence for a few moments closing momentarily, the sound of a scoff coming from the image, "_Many before you have doubted my power. Few have witnessed it, and __**all **__who have stood against me perished._"

"If you say so." He said rather dismissively. "Tell me, how is that you possess the rinnegan?"

"_How is that you, a Namikaze, possesses the Shikotsumyaku?_" Pain returned. "_Or should I say Uzumaki?_"

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "I neither consider myself a Namikaze or Uzumaki. I hold no ties to my village; those bonds have been _severed_."

Oscar worthy performance in his opinion.

Pain's eyes seemed to see right through him, studying him in tense silence.

"_Tell me,_" The image began, echoing his words. "_Do you know who the Kyuubi Jinchuurki is?_"

Naruto's fist clenched so tight he broke his knuckles with a _snap. _Not that it hurt. The bone was already healed in mere seconds.

"No." He said simply.

Internally his heart was pounding against his rib cage. He realized he was holding his breath as Pain stared him down, exhaling slowly to relax his nerves.

He heard the image give a small hum.

"_Hn. _'_If you say so_'_…_" Pain mocked, before changing the topic. "_Zetsu has shown me the result of your hunt for Orochimaru; well done._" So Zetsu could somehow record and transmit all that he saw? Naruto was absorbing everything he could learn. "_Orochimaru was a thorn in my side for far too long. His own hubris of thinking he could use the Akatsuki to further his own needs lead to his downfall. My only regret is that I didn't witness his death myself._"

"I left his skeleton on a pike, so if you're up for sight-seeing than you should pay the area a visit."

Pain blinked and Naruto had a strange feeling he was smirking. "_Hn. If I ever visit the Land of Fire it would be to bring about judgement to Konoha._"

"Oh?" Naruto questioned with interest. "What has Konoha ever done to you to deserve such _pain_?"

"…_That's nothing you need to worry about._" Pain said after a while. His reason for such a long pause eluded Naruto.

"_Since your capture was a success, your invitation is guaranteed. Do you accept?_"

"…Sure." Naruto replied. "Would be a waste of time to go through all this trouble just to say no right?"

Pain nodded his head. "_Indeed. You simply need to come to Amegakure. There, your new dawn will begin._"

Zetsu shifted in the uncomfortable silence.

If it wasn't for the mask, Pain would be seeing Naruto's 'what the fuck' face. Either he must of heard wrong, or Pain had just said _come to Amegakure_.

"Amegakure?" Naruto echoed. "As in the same Amegakure run by Hanzo of the Salamander?"

The same man who gave the Sannin their titles after fighting and defeating all three at the same time. Let's not forget he had also single handily killed _every single person_ in the leaf _army _that was backing them up.

Naruto wanted some of what this false idol was smoking. It must be some good _shit_.

"_Hanzo is dead._"

Naruto blinked. He heard the man clearly this time, but the processed information being sent to his brain must have short circuited as he echoed the statement.

"Did…you just say Hanzo is dead?"

"_He has been for quite some time._" Pain answered with the same deep, steady tone.

Impossible. He was hearing it from the mouth of the leader of the Akatsuki himself, and his brain refused to believe it. "That's a load of shi…"The rebuttal on the tip of his tongue froze as Pain's words came back to him with the realization that the man had the power to back up his radical title.

"_Don't doubt my __power__._" He stated, patience coming to an end as his eyes glowed. Naruto tensed as a chill slowly began to crawl up his spine.

Feel _pain_. Think _pain._ Accept _pain_…

Wait…what?

"_Know pain…_"

Naruto stumbled backwards before dropping to his knees. He quickly lifted up his mask exposing his mouth just in time as he began to puke up bile and saliva. As he was retching up his insides, the chilling sensation traveled through his body, making him feel as if he had suddenly been dipped in icy water. When the stirring his stomach finally ceased, he was left panting, on his hands and knees, staring at the bile covered ground.

"_I am __**Pain**__..._"

He slowly lifted his face, taking in the sight of Pain staring him down. The clouds in the sky parted revealing a full moon, white light shining down on the transparent image illuminating him in a transcendent glow.

"_I am __**god**_."

The Rinnegan glowed with an ethereal light as it glared down at him.

Naruto's wide stare slowly narrowed, rage quickly replacing shock as his body began to tremble. A glare of equal ferocity was directed right back at Pain. Zetsu flinched at the sudden spike of chakra in the air; the potency of it so strong that the wood of nearby trees began to crack.

The large source of chakra suddenly lowered, shimmering to a halt, disappearing as quickly as it had appeared.

Naruto stood to his feet, wiping his mouth before setting his mask back into place. His eyes glowed with an icy rage at the figure in front of him. For now, he reined his temper.

"Whatever you say."

Miles away from their locating, in the rain soaked village of Amegakure, receiving the signal from inside the highest tower overlooking the village, a pale emaciated face sneered.

"_I expect your arrival by the end of the week._"

Message delivered the hologram disappeared and Naruto quickly cut off his flow of chakra to the ring, ending his chakra 'broadcast'. He took the ring off his little finger, deliberating whether to crush it before he put it back into his utility pouch.

"God my ass." Naruto scoffed to himself, staring at the spot the hologram had been.

He was wondering just what the hell that man did to him to make him start puking. He hand't puked since he was five.

"It's a jutsu that uses the ring as a conduit." Zetsu said appearing right next to him. The plant man didn't move an inch at the feel of sharp bone sliding across the skin of his neck, extended from Naruto's wrist. "**Pain must have sent his chakra through the link to affect you.**"

Naurto didn't lower his wrist as he glared at the humanoid. "Why tell me this?"

"No reason," White Zetsu smirked. "**You do need to learn about us before joining right**?"

Fully standing Naruto could see Zetsu in his entirety. Black Akatsuki cloak layered with red clouds, with blue pants visible underneath the cloak having bandages around his legs.

Naruto took notice of blue toenails and …pink fingernails.

Sensing Naruto's stare White Zetsu gave a wide grin. "The colours were my choice."

Black Zetsu seemed to want to physically separate himself away from his counterpart. Ignoring his 'chatterbox' side he continued, holding up his right hand, specifically showing his little finger.

"**At all times we Akatsuki wear these rings**." Naruto took note that his ring was green, with the kanji for 'sign of the boar.' "**They serve as means of communication with each other**. **When wearing our rings Pain can contact us, at **_**any time**_**. That's only **_**if **_**we're wearing the ring.**"

Making sure to remember that information, Naruto still kept the kept the blade against his throat, but bore a look of confusion. "What are you gaining by telling me this?" Hell he hadn't even met the Akatsuki leader face to face and yet here was their information gatherer telling him some useful information.

"**I want to see your potential**." Black Zetsu answered, surprising him. "**You are the only shinobi alive that has the shikotsumyaku**. **A kekkei genkai that existed even before the Sage of Sixth Paths.**" White Zetsu surprisingly didn't have a grin on his face. He wasn't even smiling. "**Imagine the potential of an Uzumaki that possess shikotsumyaku – your potential.**"

Naruto had to take his eyes off the man and look at his feet as he began to submerge into the earth, sinking into it with such smoothness it made it seem as if he was phasing right through it.

"**Now imagine if you had a byakugan,**" His tone was almost smug. "**That would just be… **_**nostalgic**_."

"Wha – …Who are you?" Naruto questioned.

"We are **Zetsu**." Before he fully submerged himself, he gave one last remark. "**Tread carefully Naruto.** Sooner or later,** the hunter will become **_**the hunted**__._ "

Naruto was left in the forest finally by himself to think over the plant man's words. He expanded his senses to the maximum feeling for any lingering source of Zetsu, satisfied when he deduced the man was truly gone.

He gathered chakra to his legs and began moving through the trees silently, continuing on his course towards Tanzuku Gai. He wanted to reach the city before dawn.

As he traveled, his thoughts reflected on the cryptic warning Zetsu had left behind. Was he implying that Naruto himself was being hunted? Or maybe Pain was setting a trap in Amegakure?

Naruto would love to see him try. Orochimaru's hunt had been uneventful and he was left unsatisfied having no good fight in months. Only decent fight he had was his run in with Zabuza a while back. If it could be called a fight: the man had chosen to run when Naruto had broken the arm of his cross dressing little helper after a failed attempt at trying to ambush him.

Last he heard the man was in Wave Country. Naruto considered the man lucky that he had shit to do otherwise he would be hunting him down to finish what they'd started.

What his mind was really focused on was whether or not Akatsuki _really_ knew the identity of the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki – his _mother_.

It sounded like they didn't. He wanted to keep it that way.

Pain's word had been mysteriously cryptic. Ever more troubling, was the fact that the man gave out such sensitive information to a potential recruit. In the shinobi world, knowledge and information was _power._

Or was Pain's god complex so deep that he didn't even register Naruto as a threat. By the way he was looking and speaking to him, it made Naruto feel as the man thought of him as nothing but a child.

He would rip one eye out of his skull and make the man watch as he stepped on it, laugh at him for a bit while he screamed, and finally stick a blade in the other one.

"_I am pain. I am god._" Naruto mocked Pain's voice. "Well, you're _plain insane._" He smiled to himself before he frowned realizing he had no one around to share that joke with.

Meh.

Taking his thoughts back to more serious matters he thought over everything that he had learned about Akatsuki.

_A total of ten members – nine considering he made Orochimaru into a charred skeleton._

_Each member, supposedly at all times, wore a ring on a specific finger. _

_Those same rings served as forms of communication as means of 'broadcasting' their chakra to a receiver (Pain) to have contact with one another._

_Their leader under the alias Pain held a base of operations in Amegakure. _

_Pain was strong enough to kill Hanzo of the Salamander._

_And finally… Zetsu's father was a Venus fly trap and his mother was a tree. _

Thinking over everything he could say that this day wasn't entirely uneventful. Much was learned about the Akatsuki than he could ever guess. The only thing that still puzzled him was Pain's cryptic speech and Zetsu's behaviour.

What was up with the plant man talking about the byakugan? And nostalgia? Last time Naruto checked he was the only person with the shikotsumyaku alive, and if his parents weren't really faithful, he didn't have the byakugan.

Unless…

"Byakugan!"

Nope nothing. Bummer.

Not like he was planning to go rip out the eyes of some unsuspecting Hyuuga either. All of them were in Konoha.

Except for _one. _

He was a branch member so as long as no one ripped his eyes out while he was still alive, the secrets that the Hyuuga Clan went through the trouble of placing a seal on the foreheads of certain members of their own family to 'keep the byakugan from falling into the wrong hands' – kami forbid a main house member _dying_ on the battlefield – were safe.

For now at least.

It's not like he wanted _what's his face _– oh right he never asked for his name – to die or get his eyes ripped out. He wasn't heartless (most of the time). He just hoped the young Hyuuga survived.

Looked kind of girly looking though. Almost reminded him of Zabuza's boy with the same feminine looking features. If he remembered correctly, his mom always made fun of his dad's blemish free face. But still, Zabuza's boy creeped him out. Why the hell was a young teenage boy wearing woman clothes for? And that pink kimoni made Naruto want to burn his eyes.

_Ugh_. What were the kids smoking these days? Thank kami Naruto was born in the generation where the war was still going on or he probably would have turned out …_different. _

Naruto meanwhile had a handsome, masculine face. Almost identical to his fathers except for the three whisker mark lines on his face and his slightly longer, shaggier looking hair. Speaking of hair he would need a haircut soon.

Or should he let it grow? Maybe grow out a pony tail? One thing he noticed was the most powerful men in history all had _long hair._

Hashirama Senju: Long black hair. (The only real god like figure in Naruto's opinion. He had the collectible action figure as a kid.)

Madara Uchiha: Long black hair. (He also had his action figure, Kyuubi mount included.)

Tobirama Senju: Long white hair. (Although his headband pushed his hair back. No action figure for him.)

Hiruzen Sarutobi: Long brown hair. (Before it started receding and turned white from age)

Ay (The Third Raikage): Long white hair

Sakumo Hataka: Long white hair

Orochi – Oh right he just fucked him up a few hours ago. (Only those Naruto knew would most likely stomp on him in a fight and laugh as he cried could be added.)

Minato Na – (Thinking it over, he would kick his dad's ass in a fight. Plus his hair wasn't even long. The Thunder God spamming little silly head.)

Jiraiya: Long white hair (even though Naruto thought the man had a second life as a professional idiot.)

Onoki: Long brown hair. (Like his leaf counterpart, before it started receding and turned white)

Gengetsu Hozuki (Third Mizukage): Long blonde hair (before it, and the rest of his body got reduced to molecules by the Second Tsuchikage)

Honourable mention: Mu (the Second Tsuchikage): Even though he was bald and covered in bandages, he deserved to be listed after his rival as both men killed each other (at the same time) in spectacular fashion to end to a long heated rivalry.

Naruto needed no further evidence. He wasn't cutting his hair until he had a nice long blonde mane. Then he needed to become stronger than each individual on the list. Considering most of them were either dead or old, the only real measuring stick was Jiraiya. That blasted special mode of his, whatever it was called.

He wondered why he was such in a carefree mood when he realized he hadn't had his milk for the day. Not stopping his run he took out a small scroll from his utility pouch, unrolled it unsealing a small box of soy milk with straw, quickly drank it, set it on fire, rolled back the scroll putting back into his pouch, and was long gone before the burning box hit the ground.

Burping, he let out a content sigh. "That hit the spot."

The rest of the trip went in relative silence as he speed through the woods making sure to avoid any patrolling Konoha shinobi in the area.

It took him in total two hours but he still managed to reach Tanzuku Gai still under the cover of night. Stopping at the edge of the forest, he surveyed the city that never slept, the bright lights of casino's and brothels shining like a beacon in the night.

He removed his mask placing it into his utility pouch. He held up a handseal to henge his uniform into a white suit, fine enough to make it look like it was a wealthy piece of material.

Small cracks of bones shifting and changing were heard from his body as his facial structure shifted, and he visibly began to shrink in height. He shrunk from a towering 6'1 to an average 5'6 as his youthful features twisted and changed into a frail, but healthy looking old man.

He flexed the wrist of his right hand, making his ulna bone protrude from his wrist. He grabbed the bone, sliding it out of his wrist and manipulating its length to about one metre. He flicked the blood off of it clean making sure not to get any on his clothes.

Bending the top of it to form a handle, he began to walk towards the city with a limp, using his cane as support.

He ran his fingers through his hair making sure to give it gray streaks as walked on the road that lead to the city.

As the crime capital of Fire Country, Tanzuku Gai was a magnet for missing-nin, thieves, or anyone willing to gamble away their lives in hope of scoring big at the many casinos littering the city.

He walked through the streets making sure to supress his chakra levels to the minimum, the disguise working perfectly as a squad of patrolling military police passed him by without a glance, seeing nothing more than an old man walking late at night.

"Stay of the streets sir, it's not safe out at night." One officer remarked as they passed. Ah, from the young features they were rookies.

"Will do sir." Naruto replied in a raspy voice, making sure to add a cough at the end.

He continued walking, but turned his head slightly, listening carefully as their conversation caught his ear. "Yo did you guys here the news, Orochimaru is dead?"

"What? No way bro! Who the hell could take out one of the _Sannin_?"

"It was the _Bone Collector _man! Itachi-taichou reported it a few hours ago…"

He stopped listening to their chatter, smirking as he heard enough. It would seem that the news was already travelling fast.

What was the Sannin's bounty again? If he remembered correctly it was a cool 150 million. He just needed to visit the nearest bounty exchange station and he would be set for a _long _time.

His slow walk took him to the shadier parts of the city, past the more tourist friendly area into the red light district, where the police didn't even bother to patrol. Even at this hour of the night, the streets were littered with hookers, pimps, thugs and other individual that thrived in the criminal underworld.

To Naruto, it felt like home.

"Looking for a good time _daddy_." An attractive looking red head purred at him. A black cloth was the only thing she decided to wear to cover her impressive looking chest, showing off her toned stomach and a matching miniskirt that left little to the imagination.

She pouted as Naruto simply passed her without a glance.

"Aww, you're breaking my heart sugar."

Naruto continued forward ignoring the woman. Hookers, whores or any other woman willing to sell their bodies for sex were never his taste. That's just how he was. Not to say he wasn't discriminatory towards them – he was friends and had close relationships with _a lot_ of hookers – he just wasn't _in to them_ so to say. All women deserving of respect were treated with respect.

Unless they were out to kill him.

…and no he was not gay. _At all_. He treated a homophobic person as if he would treat anyone else: Tell him a good joke and he would instantly be your friend, piss him off and have sharp bone jammed through your throat.

Besides, that woman's hair wasn't even natural.

He came to a stop staring up at a wealthy looking hotel that stretched upwards to the city skyline. Guarding the entrance were two intimidating looking Yakuza, watching him with blank eyes.

Naruto had already been here enough to know those two were shinobi, hired bodyguards under the employment of the hotel.

He walked towards the two men who shifted as he neared them, reaching for the handles of their ninjatos adorned on their waist.

He simply lifted his arm, rolling down his sleeve to expose an intricate tattoo on his left forearm. It circled around the length of his arm like the body of a snake, running downwards into a spiral coming to a stop at his upper forearm with two curved lines parallel to one another in the shape of a jaw. There was a small open space between the two jaw shaped lines, filled with a black dot in the very centre with a crescent curved-shaped line beneath it.

The two Yakuza relaxed, the snake tattoos curved around their necks noticeable as they moved to allow him entrance. They bowed as he walked pass them and Naruto nodded a silent thanks.

He walked in through the front entrance, taking in the sight of massive entrance lobby.

The black marble floors were glossy under the reflection of the white chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Naruto walked forward, his cane echoing against the floor with steady taps as he took in the sight of four massive marble cylinders adorning the far corners of the hall standing as marvels of architecture, with stone walls depicting certain events of ancient history finishing the design.

He stopped before the front desk, watching as a brown haired woman in a lovely white kimono stood at attention at the sight of him.

"Mr. Arashi." She bowed, spilling her long hair over her shoulder, exposing the snake tattoo on her neck, the same as the two guards outside. "What will it be for today sir?"

"A suite for a three day stay please Ms. Etsuko." He answered, still masking his voice as he laid down the appropriate amount of cash, eyes surveying the woman. He couldn't forget her lovely, soft delicate features, and pretty brown eyes.

"Excellent." The woman stated accepting the money as she seated herself and began typing away at the monitor in front of her. She opened a draw under her desk and pulled out a key, standing to hand to him. "Here's your key sir for room 601. The elevators are to your right."

"Thank you." He replied accepting the key, "Oh and please let the guards know I will be expecting _guest_."

Her eyes twinkled as she nodded. "I will sir. Will that be all?" Naruto nodded and she smiled at him. "Enjoy your stay at the _Burakku Manba_ Hotel sir."

Naruto thanked her with a silent nod of the head as he followed her directions coming before the elevators. A press of the button opened the doors, and he walked in and pressed the button for 'six,' patiently waiting as the lift took him up.

The door opened and he walked forward stopping to star at the door that had the sign for his room. He used his key to open and quietly closed it behind him, glancing at his room. These snake loving Yakuza sure knew how to impress. Good thing his Arashi alias worked wonders; it only took a simple summoning jutsu to convince them that he was some sort of snake charmer. A respected profession to them as he was allowed into the 'members only' club.

His suite was moderately large with a traditional Japanese interior. It wasn't to impressive considering what he usually could afford, but he wasn't planning to stay long anyways as he had a travel across the country to Amegakure by the end of the week.

He removed his henge turning his suit back into his uniform, audible cracks echoing in the room as his height and bones returned back to normal.

He gripped the cain simply running his hand over it and breaking down the bone into a powder. Some wind manipulation had it blown into a nearby vent as he surveyed the room.

The kitchen was relatively nice with a steel fridge and gas stove, and hardwood themed cabinets. It had marble countertops with a matching island in the centre complimented with two leather seated adjustable medal stools. He walked on white carpeted floors that led to the bedroom and gave a thoughtful hum seeing a king size bed decked out in black covers and white pillows. The walls were painted a dark mahogany that gave it some taste, and he glanced around seeing an open concept bathroom, with a glass shower and marble tub.

All in all not too bad.

Before he truly relaxed he layered the walls with suppression seals making it virtually undetectable to the outside and soundproof. When finished he sprawled himself on an L-shaped couch in the living, slowly removing his gear as he used the remote to turn on a wide, flat screen television.

'_This just in on Fire Country news! The dangerous criminal and missing-nin known as Orochimaru has been killed by the infamous Bone Collector! Sources say –_'

He changed the channel with a roll of his eyes. Tomorrow would be a shit storm.

'_Oh yes!_' The woman on the screen moaned as the man behind her thrusted his hips against hers. '_Harder Iki! Harder!_'

Naruto sighed as he flickered through channels, running a hand through his shaggy blonde locks. Nothing but manipulated media, sex, and reality shows on television nowadays. That's why he rarely watched it. At this hour of the night he doubted there would be anything to watch.

'_On the last episode of Dragon Ball Z…_'

"Finally." He said with a sigh, leaning back on some fluffy white cushions. He couldn't believe this show was still being aired. He guessed it only came on late at night. He took off his bulky vest tossing it to the side leaving him shirtless, watching as a young teenager fought a green looking alien in a battle of energy waves.

"Holy shit… the cell games." A box of soy milk was in his hands as he watched in rapt attention, sucking the liquid through the straw.

'_Will Gohan survive against the might of cell? Join us on the next time on…_' He groaned to himself as the credits rolled. He loved this show to death as a kid, but if the characters weren't staring at each other for more than half the episode, then the action sequences only lasted no more than a few minutes.

He kicked off his sandals as he made himself more comfortable on the couch, tossing the empty box to the floor with the rest of his gear.

What a long, long day.

His eyes began to shut as the need for sleep began to take effects on his body. But before some well needed rest, he needed to get his contact in touch with him.

He manipulated the distal phalanges of his left index finger making it as sharp as a knife and lightly cut his thumb on his right hand. It would take a chakra enhanced blade to even begin to cut his skin. He lightly traced his bloody thumb against the ink of his tattoo, stopping right in between the snake jaws.

He slammed his palm on the seat of the couch.

"_Summoning Jutsu._"

There was a small puff of smoke. It took a few seconds for the smoke clear revealing a grey coloured snake. It hissed slightly, focusing its black eyes up at Naruto, the yellow pupils glowing in recognition.

"Masterrrrrr." The snake hissed in greeting. "So it's true; the White Snake is dead." The voice was soft, almost seductive in nature, with an audible feminine tone.

"Kiyohime." Naruto greeted the black mamba. "Yes Orochimaru is dead."

"A pity." The identified Kiyohime said dismissively. Her long slender body curled around her as she hissed in annoyance. "Never liked him anyways. That arrogant _worm_, acting like he was in control, having no respect for Manda-sama at all,_ ugh_." She gave a sound of disgust."Always asking annoying questions about the Ryuchi Ca…" She trailed off seeing Naruto's raised brow.

"The Ryuchi what?"

"Ohhhhhh its nothing." She said with a teasing hiss, instantly changing her attitude as a dark tongue flickered out of her mouth to taste the air. Her coffin shaped head glanced around the room. "Hotel?" She questioned getting a nod from Naruto. "Ah, much better than last time. Nice to be close to civilization opposed to the wilderness right master?" She made herself comfortable on the couch as she focused on the television.

"Right," He said gaining her attention. "I need you to find my contact for me. When you find him, tell him to meet me here in Tanzaku Gai; he should know the hotel," After a pause he added. "Tell him _not _to keep me waiting."

The date was Thursday July 3rd. He had till the end of the week to reach Amegakure.

Kiyohime scoffed. "Not that disgusting man again. Master you need to gain better allies."

Naruto sighed at her attitude. "I've told you countless times before, despite his nature he's an –"

"_An extremely powerful shinobi and spy master_." She mocked copying Naruto's voice perfectly, the sound of her giggles like chimes when his eyes twitched. "As if."

Naruto ran a hand through his spiky blonde locks stifling a yawn. "Can you do this for me please?"

"Of course master, I live to serve your will." Naruto fought back the quip on his tongue. "Do you require _anything_ else?" Her yellow eyes gleamed up at him, running over his shirtless attire specifically.

"No." Naruto said flatly, quickly shielding himself with a cushion, preparing to swat away any sudden movements (or run if he had to).

"You sure?"

"Yes."

"Not even –"

"No."

"…What if I should cha–"

"No."

"Not even if I –"

"_No_"

"But I really wa –"

"_NO!_" Naruto shouted throwing the cushion at her head.

She let out a giggle, easily dodging the cushion. It was rare to get under that hard skin of his, the reactions always priceless. "Fineeeee." Her body uncoiled to an impressive three metres for her size, and slithered off with the speed of an arrow quickly moving to a window before she stopped, slowly turning her head to stare at him.

"Ehem?" She coughed expectantly.

"You can open it yourself." Naruto said turning his attention back to the television.

"Yes but a handsome young gentleman such as you should show some chivalry for a lady."

"You're perfectly capable of doing it yourself."

"Master." She warned.

"What?" Naruto lifted his hand to cup his ear as he purposely turned up the volume of the television. "Can't here you!" He shouted.

He heard her hiss at him in anger. "Rude!" She huffed before the sound of the window opening was heard and Naruto smirked, turning back down the television volume as he relaxed, feeling her presence disappear.

He focused on the screen seeing 'Gundam Wing' was on. This was his _shit _back in the day.

Sharp fangs suddenly bit his hand.

"Ow!" Naruto yelped in reflex flipping over the couch and landing on his head. He sat up on his knees, looking down at his hand seeing two puncture marks in his skin, thankfully noticing no venom was in the bite. It healed before his eyes as he looked up at the sound of laughter.

Kiyohime giggled down at him from her position on the couch. "Haha that's what you _get_."

"Bitch!" Naruto thundered. "What was that for!?"

She hissed a sneer at him. "Do you see a female dog anywhere? Besides, you had it coming being all rude when _you're _the one who summoned _me_." She gave a dismissive huff. "You need to – ahh!" She narrowly avoided the pillow aiming for her head as she quickly slid around the floor, an angry Naruto chasing her with a pillow hanged over his head.

"Stay!" He slammed the pillow down missing her each time receiving giggles for his effort.

"Still!"

Miss.

"You!"

Another miss.

"Slimy!"

Once more, a miss.

"EEL!"

The pillow exploded as it slammed on the ground.

She dodged once again, laughing at his misfortune. "Slow poke!" She teased, quickly slithering towards the window and exiting it with a wave of her tail.

Naruto stared at the window with a scowl holding the destroyed pillow in hands. His mood turned especially foul as he noticed there were feathers all around the suite leaking from the pillow.

"Ah shit..."

Spending a good ten minutes cleaning up all the feathers and throwing away the busted pillow Naruto crashed on the crouch. Body begging for sleep he stretched himself across the couch and closed his eyes, not bothering to turn the television off.

His eyes opened as he felt the sudden need to pee.

He was already lying down, right now feeling too lazy to get up. He simply pushed back the urge as he closed his eyes.

Five minutes later he was shifting restlessly as the need to pee grew stronger.

Grumbling, he got up from the couch heading to the bathroom. "It's all Kiyohime's fault."

* * *

"_Ten!"_

_He ran as fast as his little legs could carry him._

"_Nine!"_

_His eyes quickly looked around seeing the jungle gym didn't provide any suitable hiding spots._

"_Eight!"_

'_Gotta hide, gotta hide, gotta hide.' He internally chanted with haste. He searched around before his gaze found the tree line of a massive forest behind the park. A big grin stretched across his small face._

"_Seven!"_

_Sprinting with all the speed of a four year old he laughed aloud as he made it to the cover of the trees by the time the count had reached five._

"_Four!"_

_He ran deeper into the forest all the while glancing around for a tree that would give him adequate cover._

"_Three!"_

_A great big oak tree caught his gaze. He quickly ran up to it tilting his head back to try to see the top of the tree. 'Woah this is one giant tree!' He thought._

"_Two!"_

"_Oh shoot!" He shouted, internally thumping his head for being too loud. He tried to climb the tree but gave up after the first attempt, stubby arm and legs too short to even have the strength to climb._

"_One!"_

_He ran around the tree and put his back up against the bark._

"_One and a half!"_

_He clamped his hands to his mouths to stifle his giggles._

"_One and three quarters!"_

'_Don't laugh, don't laugh don't laugh…'_

"_Ready or not!" His father's voice teased. "Here I come!"_

_Naruto slowly sat down, hands still tightly covering his mouth to keep his giggles quiet. The excitement of hide and seek always made him laugh for some reason, making him end up always losing the game whenever he faced Itachi._

_The slightly older Uchiha sure did know how to keep quiet. Having a victory score against Naruto of 3-1._

_He would get him one day._

"_I wonder where Naruto could be!?"_

_Naruto chanced a peek behind his cover of the tree to see his father searching the jungle gym playground._

"_Is he…over here!?" Minato shouted as he jumped behind a large slide, only to lose his grin as his search came up empty._

"_Hmm!" He rubbed his chin in thought, making sure to keep his voice loud "Where is that little bugger hiding!?"_

'_Haha you silly old man, you'll never find me!' Naruto gave a small fist pump in victory, making the mistake of removing his hands from his mouth. "I'm going to win Dattebayo!"_

_Minato eyes snapped to the forest, and Naruto quickly ducked back into cover, slapping his hands over his mouth._

_He could hear the grin his father's voice as the man took slow, unhurried steps towards the forest._

"_Oh where, oh where, could Naruto ever be!?" He sing-songed. _

_Naruto pushed down the game losing giggles that wanted to erupt from his throat. _

"_When I find him!" Minato shouted, surveying the forest, "I'm going to tickle his tummy!"_

_Naruto's shoulders began to shake as he pressed his hands against his mouth with all his might._

"_No, he'd probably like that." Minato quickly checked behind a tree, slowly moving closer and closer to Naruto's hiding spot. "So maybe … I should eat him!?"_

_Naruto banged his head on the tree as he began to snort with muffled laughter._

"_Or maybe…" Minato grinned as his gaze found a large oak tree, slowly walking towards it making sure his footsteps were heard. _

'_Oh no no no no no' Naruto thought hurriedly as the sound of his father's footsteps came closer and closer to his hiding spot. 'Think think think think think.'_

_His eyes suddenly brightened as an idea popped into his head._

"_When I find him." Minato grinned as neared the tree, fingers sliding across the bark as he circled the tree with slow steps. "I'll just…" His eyes glinted with triumph seeing blue sandals sticking out from the other side. "Catch him!"_

_Minato jumped in front of Naruto's hiding spot. "Gotcha you little…rasc.." _

_His voice quieted to a halt, the grin sliding off his face as he stared down at Naruto's blue sandals._

_Only __Naruto's sandals._

"_That smart little bugger." His face broke into a smile as he bent down to pick up the sandals._

_A few feet away from his original hiding spot, safety nestled under the covers of some bushes, Naruto grinned in victory._

"_Hehe stupid daddy." He whispered. "I'm the best dattebay–"_

_S-s-s-s-s-s-s!_

_Hearing the sound coming from behind him he turned his head, wide violet eyes focusing on a grey coloured snake a few inches in front of him. _

_Minato flinched as Naruto's scream echoed through the forest._

_He dropped Naruto's sandals as he disappeared in a flash of yellow, appearing beside his screaming son before the sandals could hit the ground._

"_Daddy!"_

_Minato quickly scooped Naruto up into his arms, missing the way the snake disappeared as he quickly checked Naruto from top to bottom._

_Seeing no visible injuries he breathed a sigh of relief, quickly hugging his son tightly._

"_Oh Naruto, don't scare me like that ever again." He ran his fingers through Naruto's hair, quietly shushing him as he began to cry. "What's wrong little guy?"_

_Naruto stuffed his face into the crook of his father's neck. "There was this huge snake!" He cried. "It was big and scary and ugly and it looked like it wanted to eat me!"_

_Minato patted Naruto's back as his eyes surveyed the forest. Funny he didn't see any signs of the reptile. "There there." He hushed._

_He made his way back to where he dropped Naruto's sandals, holding the boy in one hand and picking them up with the other, before making his way out of the forest._

"_You okay little guy?" He asked as Naruto wiped his face. _

_He received a timid nod._

"_You want to put your sandals back on?"_

_Naruto shook hid, stuffing his face back into his father's neck. "Nu-uh. Carry me!" He demanded, missing the way his father rolled his eyes but acquiesced. _

"_Fine but only on one condition."_

"_What's a conti…conti…contisun?"Naruto asked lifting his head._

"_Con-di-tion." Minato corrected. "Say it with me; Con.."_

"_Con." Naruto echoed._

"_Di."_

"_Di."_

"_Tion."_

"_Shun."_

"_No not shun, __tion__."_

"_Shun." Naruto repeated._

"_Tion." Minato said again._

"_Shun!" Naruto answered back, looking confused._

"_No." Minato shook his head. "T-i-o-n." He sounded it out._

"_S-h-u-n!" Naruto copied. "I'm saying shun like you said you silly head!"_

"_No you're the silly head!" Minato fired back._

_Naruto gasped before his eyes narrowed._

"_No! You are!"_

"_Nuh-uh!" Minato teased. "You're the silly head that can't say __tion__ right."_

_Minato fought back a laugh as Naruto's face turned red._

"_Shun! Shun! Shun! Shun! Shun! Clean out your ears you…you… dattebayo!"_

_Minato's laugh stopped as he stared at his son with a smug gaze._

"_Ooooo." He teased. "What did mommy say about using that word?"_

_Naruto's face paled._

"_Please don't tell her I said it daddy! Please!" There would be no more ramen for a month._

_Minato hummed thoughtfully to himself. "I thought I was nothing but a silly daddy?" He questioned._

"_No! You're the best daddy ever!" Naruto's small hands wrapped around his face in a hug. "I promise to never use it again! Datteba–"He slapped a hand over his mouth._

_Minato grinned vindictively as his eyes shined with a teasing glint. _

"_I'm telling!"_

"_Nooooooooooo!"_

_The people of Konoha stopped to stare as the Fourth Hokage walked down the streets. It was normal to see the beloved kage walking about, but what paused many in their day to day activities was the sight of the man carrying blue sandals in one hand, and the other, tucked under his arm, a mini copy of himself trying to bite off the man's arm._

_Minato simply smiled at the curious faces._

"_Kids I tell you!" He said ignoring Naruto's attempts to chew off his arm. "What would you do without them!?" _

_He pulled Naruto from up underneath his arm and leaned his head back at Naruto's attempt to grab his face._

"_If a certain someone behaves," He held up a finger to halt Naruto's swipes. "Then we can we can maybe go get some ramen?"_

_Like a switch was flipped, Naruto was all smiles, climbing to the top of his shoulders with a big grin on his face. _

"_Ramen!"_

_Minato simply chuckled as he held onto Naruto's legs to keep him steady._

_Naruto suddenly bent his body to peer down at his dad's face, staring at him eye to eye._

"_This changes nothing."_

_Minato laughed as Naruto set himself upright on his father's shoulders, nestling his face into his father's hair._

"_Love you silly headed daddy."_

_Minato smiled softly. "Love you to s–"_

_*BOOM!*_

_Both father and son flinched at the loud explosion. Both eyes turned upwards to see smoke coming from a building, Minato quickly jumping backwards to avoid getting crushed by the debris that started to rain down on the streets. Nearby people in the vicinity weren't so lucky, and Minato stared in horror as people were crushed under concrete._

"…_They're all dead." Minato focused his gaze on Naruto seeing the boy looking at the horrific scene with wide eyes. People started to run away screaming._

"_Don't look Naruto!" Minato took him off his shoulders and put his face against in the crook of his neck just as the village alarm sounded._

_He was surrounded by Anbu in the blink of an eye as Military Police rushed to scene._

"_Hokage-sama!"_

"_Take Naruto home!" He ordered handing his son over to an Anbu member._

"_Yes sir!" He painfully ignored Naruto as the boy began to cry, stretching his arms towards him as the boar masked Anbu took him away. "Daddy!"_

"_Be good for me Naruto." He said to his son, before turning away from him. Naruto could only watch his father's white cloak sway in the wind as he sprinted towards the scene of destruction, the Anbu flanking him as more and more shinobi rushed to the scene._

_*BOOM!*_

_This explosion was a dangerously close. Directly above them as a still under construction high-rise apartment exploded with a shower of debris and medal. __The Boar masked Anbu looked up just in time to see large portion of rock falling straight towards them.__He gripped the boy tight preparing to use a body flicker only to drop to the ground, screaming as a sharp piece of medal suddenly pierced his leg. __He dropped Naruto in his stumble, rolling to the ground as he looked at the iron bar sticking out of his thigh._

_Naruto sat up with a groan, weakly lifting his head to see brown eyes widen behind the boar mask._

"_Ru–"_

_The man's body disappeared beneath a huge metal beam. Dust flew into the air from the impact causing Naruto to start coughing.__Naruto blinked as he felt a liquid running down the side of his face. He wiped it with his hands staring at the appendage covered in __red__. __He glanced down at himself in confusion seeing his blue shirt and orange shirts stained in the colour._

_He glanced back at the spot where the man had disappeared seeing a gloved hand sticking out from under the beam surrounded by the red stuff. The hand twitched before it fell limp, the red liquid beginning to run out from underneath the beam like a river._

_There was the sound of medal grinding on medal coming from above, and Naruto looked up in time to catch another huge medal beam breaking apart from the structure, sent plummeting to the earth as gravity took effect._

_Even his four year old mind could tell the beam was going to land right on top of him._

_He weakly pushed himself to his feet and tried to run, but stumbled seeing his right foot was twisted awkwardly. __He hopped on his good leg desperately as the shadow of the beam grew larger and larger. __His desperate hops failed as the pain in his twisted ankle flared and he fell to his knees, eyes tearing as he began to cry._

_A shadow passed over him and he glanced upwards in time to catch the shape of a man._

"_Help me!" He screamed._

_The shadow disappeared into the dust cloud and Naruto was left alone._

"_Daddy." He whispered as he began to cry again. "Save me."_

_He heard a voice reply back, his tearful eyes glancing up as he stretched his arm forwards in a last attempt to try and reach the source._

"_Who –"_

_He suddenly couldn't see anything. The pain in his ankle was no more as if the injury was miraculously healed. _

_He really didn't feel anything at all._

_All he was left with was __**darkness.**_

Naruto jumped awake, screaming as razor sharp spikes of bone protruded from his wrist and rib cage.

"Rahhhh!"

His frantic pants echoed in the quiet room of his hotel suite, his eyes instantly focusing on the flickering light of the television. He wheezed a desperate breath to calm his nerves, sweat coating his body as he began to shiver.

A soft hiss drew his gaze to the floor, the bones in wrist extending as he tensed.

Coiled up on the floor beside the couch was Kiyohime, her yellow eyes glowing in the dark as she stared up at him in worry.

"Master." She greeted carefully. "Nightmares again?"

Naruto gave a hesitant nod. "Y-Yes."

She slowly uncoiled her body, deliberately making no sudden movements as she slithered up against the couch. "What happened?" She asked, slowly slithering across his legs, making sure to avoid the sharp patella bone sticking out of his knee.

"K-Konoha." Naruto rasped. "I…I was in Konoha."

"Was it the accident?" She questioned, crawling up around his shoulders, lightly wrapping around his neck.

"Yes…" He answered. His shivering calmed as her cool body slowly curled around his, the bones slowly receding backing into his skin. "T-The explosion…the bodies… the b-b-eam."

The _shadow._

Naruto fisted his hands into his hair.

"I still remember," He whispered tears beginning to run down the side of his face. "I remember like it was yesterday."

"Shhhh." Kiyohime hushed, struggling to use her body to just get him to lie down. He was _ridiculously_ strong. She had to increase her size, expanding to the length and weight of an anaconda to begin pushing him down. "Just relax master."

Naruto allowed her weight to force him down, his body stretching out on the couch once again.

"I'm going to put you to sleep okay?" Her mouth opened revealing, long razor sharp black fangs.

Naruto simply nodded, closing his eyes as he gave a deep sigh.

Her sharp fangs gently pricked the hard skin of his throat. Naruto simply stayed still already feeling her venom beginning to course through his body. Snake bites weren't knew to him, his body already being subjected to a large number of snake venoms over the years. He had developed a natural immunity but the venom still made him weak. A great risk in normal circumstances, but he trusted in her completely to be protected while he slept.

As his eyes fluttered shut, Kiyohime returned to her natural size, watching him until his breathing evened out, and his gentle snoring filled the silence of his quiet apartment.

"Sleep well master."

* * *

"Hello my dear sweet Etsuko!"

The receptionist at the front desk smiled at the man in front of her, standing up to bow towards the man.

"Hello Jiraiya-sama." Her bowed head missed the way the man sneaked a peek at her cleavage.

"Now now, none of that my dear." Jiraiya leaned across the desk, gently grasping her hand and lifting it to his face to press a kiss against her knuckle. "You grow more and more beautiful every time I see you."

Her pale cheeks blushed prettily. "T-Thank you Jiraya-sama."

She giggled as a big, perverted looking grin stretched across the man's face.

"Jiraya-sama please," She looked up at him under long thick lashes. "_Behave._"

This was the _best _fucking hotel he had ever been to in all his fifty years. _Ever _

First off, the hotel stood as the pinnacle of luxury. Never would he imagine the red light district of Tanzuku Gai held something as extravagant as this.

Secondly, it was _secure. _Unless you possessed the snake tattoo every one of them bore on their necks, no one could get in. And if you somehow did manage to make it through the doors, you probably would get thrown into the snake pit that they had buried under the floors.

In his case he was an esteemed, honoured guest of ' Mr Arashi.'

Finally, all the women employed were drop dead _gorgeous. _Every single one of them could qualify for the front page cover of Playboy Magazine if they wanted to. The snake tattoos they all bore added to their appeal.

"Alright, alright." He regrettably let go of the smooth skin of her hand. "Is Arashi in?"

Etsuko smiled, sitting back in her chair as she checked her monitor. "Yes he came in yesterday, in room…" Her eyes scanned the screen. "601."

Jiraiya nodded in acceptance. "Thank you my darling." He suddenly pouted, holding a hand over his heart. "Regrettably we must part ways once again."

She bit her lip looking around nervously, before she beckoned him with a finger. Jiraya wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, leaning down towards her with his ear turned towards her lips.

She whispered in his ear and Jiraya leaned back in shock, a small blush on his face as Etsuko gave him a seductive smile.

"Don't keep Mr. Arashi waiting Jiraiya-sama_._" She winked.

Jiraiya's face remained frozen as he numbly turned to his left and began walking.

"Other side Jiraya-sama." She corrected, watching as he turned like a zombie and walked the right way.

She watched him numbly lift a hand to press the 'up' arrow for the elevator, slowly walking in as the doors opened, and turning around to press another button.

She waved goodbye to him, blowing a kiss.

_Thump!_

She laughed as the man passed out, a trail of blood leaking from his nose just as the doors closed.

Taking a few moments to compose himself, Jiraiya was back to perfect condition just as the doors opened. He still had a huge grin on his face at the thought of what was to come.

_No wonder Naruto regularly comes here. The women were the bomb!_

He shook of his smile, reverting to a seriousness rarely seen as he stopped before the door that bore Naruto's room number.

The brat had sent that disgusting _worm _to come find him saying that they needed to meet urgently. Jiraiya had a feeling he wasn't going to like what he was about to hear. He knocked on the door, smiling as a seal suddenly appeared.

_Impressive._ He thought. He placed his hand against the seal and let his chakra run through it receiving a soft _click _as the door unlocked.

He gripped the handle of the door slowly beginning to open it.

"Alright what do you want bra –"

He was suddenly staring at the head top of glossy black hair.

"Oh." A soft voice said. "I didn't notice seals were on the door. I was about to open it for you."

Jiraya just had to look down at the owner of such an alluring voice.

His jaw would have hit the ground if it was possible.

Standing in front of him, with a hand also on the handle of the door, was the most _beautiful _woman he had ever seen.

The first thing he took notice of was super long glossy black hair that traveled to her lower back, held together in ponytail by a thin orange ribbon. Some thin strands of hair spilled over her shoulder, a perfectly straight nose and full pouty lips catching his attention as his gaze lowered. Her pale skin was highlighted brilliantly against the kimono that matched the darkness of her hair.

What had him gawking was the kimono itself: It was open at the top, hanging off her shoulders to show her ample décolletage, his gaze traveling lower to see that it was split at the front, open enough to reveal a glimpse of thigh, and long shapely legs.

"Are you finished staring?" She asked dryly.

"Huh?" Jiraiya answered dumbly, eyes glued to her legs as she shifted.

"Jiraiya-sama!" The warning of a righteous female anger had Jiraiya quickly lifting his gaze to more neutral areas, focusing on her exotic eyes.

The only thing that was normal about them was the white sclera. Her irises were darker than her hair, with the centre pupil being golden slits that glowed at him in disgust.

Her pink lips sneered at him (giving Jiraiya a glance of sharp fangs) as she walked away.

"Disgusting just like those toads, _ugh._"

"Um…" Jiraiya slowly walked pass the door, eyes still wide, closing it behind him. "Do I know you?"

"Unfortunately." She said not turning around, her long hair swinging behind her. "And you're drooling." He quickly wiped the saliva from his mouth, looking up just in time to see her disappear behind a bedroom door.

Jiraiya just stood there staring.

'_Holy shit!'_

Naruto had truly surpassed him if he had a buxom beauty like that walking around. Jiraiya felt like he was about to cry. He was still left memorised not even registering a sleepy Naruto exit the bedroom with a blanket wrapped around him, the unknown woman trailing behind him as he took slow, unhurried steps entering the living room.

"Ah." He yawned, absently scratching his chest. "You've arrived Jiraiya-kyoufu."

Naruto plumped himself down on the couch, eyes still closed as he ran his hands through his hair realizing he was a victim of bed head. "I'll be honest I didn't expect you –" He stifled another yawn. "To get here so fast."

Jiraiya didn't hear him. He was currently mesmerized by the way the dark haired beauty went into the kitchen, opening the fridge, taking out a jug of milk. She closed the fridge door, her hands running up the jug as she heated it up with some fire manipulation. He watched as she pulled a small scroll out of her sleeve and set in on the counter, unrolling it to summon an orange mug.

She poured the heated milk into the cup and set the jug on the counter, walking over with the hot cup of milk in her hands and handing to Naruto with a beautiful smile.

"Here you are master."

If Jiraya's jaw opened any wider it would surely get stuck. '_Master!?_' His eyes teared as he silently wept. Atta boy Naruto.

Naruto grunted a thank you as he accepted the mug. He brought to his lips and took a sip.

Only to begin gagging.

He turned an angry glare towards the woman, prepared to spit the milk out back into the cup.

"Ah ah ah!" The woman warned, wiggling her finger. "Swallow it!"

When Naruto simply stared at her with his cheeks puffed up like a balloon, she narrowed her eyes at him. "_Swallow it._" She warned.

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the threat, but acquiesced receiving a grin from the woman.

"What the hell is this _shit_!?" He thundered, pointing a finger at the mug.

The woman rolled her exotic eyes. "It's oat milk master." She sighed.

"_Oat milk_?" Naruto questioned with a disgusted face. _What the hell is oat milk_? "Where's my soy!?"

She looked at her long nails deliberating whether to cut them or not. "You finished all of it master."

"Already?" His whole being slumped in dejection, "My precious soy." He moaned miserably.

She giggled at his reaction, sitting beside him on the couch as she rubbed soothing circles on his back. "Come now, no whining please. Finish your milk." She pressed the mug in his hands against his lips and Naruto regrettably drank it.

Naruto drank from the cup until it was empty, a disgusted grimace on his face as he handed the mug back to her. "Yuck." She rolled her eyes, but had a smile on her face as she accepted the cup from his hands, pecking him on the cheek before excusing herself to the kitchen.

Naruto watched her back before he sighed, resting his head into his open palm as he yawned again. "As I said before, I didn't expect you to get here so fast. Where you coming from anyways?"

When Jiraiya didn't answer him, he glanced up at the man, blinking at the way Jiraiya was staring him down with intense seriousness.

Damn that brat looked like he had been working out, Jiraiya noticed as Naruto shifted under the blanket, giving him a clear view of his stature. He wasn't overly bulky, just toned to a musculature that was ripped. Hell those muscles looked even more defined than his.

What was he about what now? It was hard tell from his seated position so Jiraiya could only estimate a good 6'1. Probably about an inch shorter than him. Damn what was he eating? Oh right, he drank nothing but milk.

Naruto raised an eyebrow not liking the glint in the man's eyes. "Jira –"

Jiraiya slowly waked up to him, staring at him for a few seconds, before he dropped to his knees.

"Teach me you're secrets!" He bowed. "I dedicate my life to your teach –"

Jiraiya's face suddenly smashed into the ground, cracking the floor from the force of impact. Naruto lowered his fist massaging his forehead with a scowl.

"It's too early for you to be acting like an idiot."

"Says the milk obsessed little boy." The woman said from the kitchen, leaning on the counter, her ample cleavage on full display as she ate some chicken wings from a bowl. Where she got it from, he could only guess.

"I told you I need to keep my calcium levels up!" Naruto scowled, "And who you calling little _boy_?" He stood suddenly but the rapid movement made his head spin and he fell back into the couch with a groan.

"Nice one tough guy." She giggled, chewing on a particular juicy piece of meat.

"Hey," His nose twitched smelling that they were glazed in honey. "Save some for me."

Making sure to keep eye contact with him, she slowly licked her fingers clean of sauce, making exaggerated moans as she cleaned her fingers one by one, smiling as he rolled his eyes.

"_Mmmm_….nope!" She winked.

"Now that's just not fair!" Jiraiya shouted as he jumped to his feet, physically unharmed. "What have I been doing wrong for so many years!?" He appeared beside the woman in a _body flicker _staring her down in awe.

"Such stunning perfection. Where does a rare gem like you even come from?" He asked, as his eyes unashamedly surveyed her body. "Surely you must have fallen from the heavens?"

Her beauty was simply unearthly: A perfect hourglass figure with shapely hips, a slim modest waste, and a chest size that he would guess was only two cups smaller than his teammates. But that's where the comparison stopped as her features alone were enough to make any woman question their self-confidence if they were in the same room as her. And she wasn't even wearing any makeup.

She simply stared at him out of the corner of her eye remaining silent.

"Answer me this madam," A perfectly shaped dark eyebrow rose at him. "What's with the cold treatment?" She must obviously have recognized him as he was well known, but he couldn't say the same for her. As if he would ever forget meeting a beauty like _this. _He would seal her image into his mind for all eternity if he was able to.

Plus she called Naruto _master_.

He and Naruto had met many times in the past and he never seen her before. The only lady – or should he say disgusting reptile – that called him such a title was that ugly snake bitch that terrorized him whenever…

His thought process halted as he focused on her eyes, finally recognizing where he had seen them before.

The 'woman' smirked. "Finally recognize me Toad Sage."

Jiraiya backed away in horror. "N-No way…"

She grinned exposing a white set of teeth. "_Wayyyyyy._" She hissed letting a long black tongue slither out of her lips.

Naruto rolled his eyes at the development. _These two again_

Jiraiya began to hyperventilate as his skin turned an unhealthy pale. Kiyohime walked up to him with slow, seductive steps, making sure her hips swayed with each swing of her hair.

"What's wrong _Jiraiya-sama_?" She cooed, "I thought I was stunning perfection?"

With each step she took Jiraiya backed away, his back bumping against a wall signifying he was effectively trapped. Like a snake cornering its prey, Kiyohime slowly closed in, fighting back a giggle as the man seemed to mold himself against the wall.

"You know what I like about toads?" She questioned softly as she neared him. She put her hands on his shoulders, Jiraiya suddenly going rigid as she stood on her toes, cool breath fanning across the skin of his neck causing goosebumps as her lips moved to his ear.

"They're easy to _swallow._"

Jiraiya suddenly twitched violently as began frothing at the mouth, a stream of blood leaking from his nose as he slid down the wall, his head hitting the ground with a dull _thump._

She grinned triumphantly, walking away from the man with a smug grin.

"_Oh but Jiraiya's an extremely powerful shinobi and spy master_," She mocked Naruto's voice again, plopping down beside him on the couch. "_You should treat him with respect and _blah blah blah. Hmph!" She huffed, crossing her arms. "I'll never respect a _toad._"

Naruto was going to develop a bad eye twitch by noon. The retort on his mouth halted as he let out another yawn.

"Damn, why am I so tired?" He questioned rubbing his eyes. "And I don't remember seeing you in human form."

When she didn't answer he glanced down at her, a blank look on her face as she examined her nails.

"Kiyohime?" He warned.

"Yes master?" She looked up at him from under her lashes.

"_Kiyohime._"

"What, I can't be in my human form when I want to?" She questioned, picking at her fingernails.

"Why am I so exhausted?" He frowned, narrowing his eyes down at her.

She shrugged. "I don't know; human sleeping patterns still elude me."

Naruto stared at her long and hard but she paid him no heed. "…I had nightmares again didn't I?" Her silence and avoidance of his gaze was answer enough. Naruto let out a long sigh, frowning as he massaged his forehead.

Fuck, when was this shit going to stop?

He flexed his muscles, frowning at their weakness.

"You must have bitten me."

Her eyes briefly flickered to his neck seeing no visible markings, before they returned back to her nails.

"You woke up screaming." She whispered seeing Naruto flinch in her peripherals. "I couldn't just leave you in such a state."

There was silence for a while as Naruto opened his mouth, then closed it, and finally opened it once more.

"I need my body to be in peak condition." Naruto refused to look at her as expression turned hurt. "With the meeting with Akatsuki coming up I need to be prepared for anything." He turned his face to hide his coloured cheeks. "But I –"

"Hn." Her face smoothly returned to neutrality. "Of course master, you need to be in tip-top shape for the _hunt_. I wonder though…how would you catch a target when you'd be suffering from sleep deprivation?" She questioned churlishly raising an eyebrow. "Going to need to take a nap in the middle of a fight."

"But..." Naruto continued ignoring that blasted sharp tongue of hers. "I know you only did that because you care." Violet eyes met black and gold "So thank you." He finished sincerely.

She shyly averted her gaze with a huff. If she could blush her cheeks would be red.

Naruto smirked throwing an arm around her making sure to get her under the blanket.

"Jeez, your skin is cold." He drawled feeling her hands.

"Cold-blooded master." She replied, all smiles as she nestled her head against his shoulder.

"Ah, right. Sometimes I forget."

She batted her eyelashes at up at him. "Does my stunning beauty just dazzle your mind to forgetfulness?"

"Hmm, sometimes."

She pouted. "_Sometimes_ master? Which beauty would rival this _stunning perfection_?" She said in her best rendition of Jiraiya.

Naruto cracked a smile as he hummed in thought. "Well the other day, I went gaga when I saw this cute little frog…"

She tried to keep her face stern. She really did. But from his tone of voice, calm expression and the way it was just too damn funny, her attempts to stop giggling erupted into loud, pleasant laughter.

"Alright I'll give you that one." Her shoulders shook as she laughed, Naruto smiling as he found the sound infectious.

"Hn. Let's not forget you were giving me attitude a few seconds ago." He grumbled, failing to keep down his smile.

"Aw forgive me master." Her sharp nails gently traced the whisker marks on his face, the only real imperfections on an otherwise flawless face. "How can I make it up to you?" She purred, leaving the question open for interpretation.

Naruto fought to keep his features blanks as a soft hand cupped his chin, gently turning his head towards hers while the other continued to stroke his cheeks. "I'm…I'm sure you'll figure something out."

Her cool breath blew across his lips as she slowly closed the gap between them.

"Mhmmm I have _just _the idea." She purred.

Her eyes fluttered shut just as her lips brushed against his…

Only to lose her balance and fall into his lap as he suddenly pulled back. She sat up with a pout, noticing a scowl on his face and his eyes focusing on Jiraiya scribbling away on a notebook, a huge stupid looking grin on his face.

'_This will be the next best seller!'_ He thought happily. '_Icha Icha: Snake Charmer!_'

_Fwip!_

He was suddenly staring at a sharp spike of bone piercing through his notebook.

"That was uncalled for Naruto." Jiraiya frowned slowly lowering his notebook, watching as Naruto lowered his arm, the open hole in the skin of his finger knitting itself together.

"Shut up and come here so we can talk."

Jiraiya would have sat on the couch but the glare from Kiyohime made him reconsider. He grabbed a stool from the kitchen and seated himself near the couch taking a few minutes to adjust it.

"Alright talk brat." It was unnerving how the man could go from goofy to serious in the blink of an eye.

Naruto thought about he should drop this bomb on the man. He simply started with the two most important things he considered would make Jiraiya have a stroke.

"Hanzo is dead, killed by the leader of Akatsuki who also has the Rinnegan."

It was testament to Jiraiya's experience that he didn't flinch.

"…How'd you acquire such information?" He asked after a long pause of silence.

"I spoke with the leader himself, a man called Pain using this…" He pointed at his utility pouch on the ground. "Can you get that from me please Kiyohime." She simply stretched out her longue tongue, wrapping it around his pouch and depositing it into his lap with a smile.

He thanked her with a nod, ignoring her pout as she was expecting a kiss. "Using this." Naruto repeated as he held up his ring taking it from his pouch.

"When I wear it, I focus my chakra into to it to send out my chakra like a broadcast signal. Pain picks it up wherever he is like a receiver, in this case Amegakure. This is also how the Akatsuki communicate appearing in the shape of static images. Apparently all of them wear their rings at all times. "

"Interesting." Kiyohime stated listening with rapt attention. "If this ring can allow you to communicate from long distances, then it could surely replace that device you humans use. What is it called again master?"

"A phone."

"Ah yes, a phone. Can't say I'm not impressed with human technology." She stated.

"I bet we'll create flying machines next." Naruto said after a while of thought.

"Pff, I doubt it." Kiyohime snorted.

"Hey!" Jiraiya shouted gaining her attention. "This is no time for small talk! How can you be acting this way after learning such events?" He glared at the both of them. "Do you realize what all this means Naruto!? Hanzo dead!? Nagato as the leader of Akatuki –"

"Nagato?" Naruto cut him off, frowning. "As in one of your former students?"

Jiraiya realised the slip. His gaze lowered as he let out a tense, "Yes."

"Well ain't that some shit." Naruto whistled appreciatively. "Damn that's rough." Jiraiya sighed as he regrettably agreed. Nagato as the leader of Akatsuki? Yahiko and Konan must be members of the organisation as well. Jiraiya shook his head as he eyes became distant in thought. Where had he gone wrong with his three former students?

"Only one questions though?"

The question jarred Jiraiya from his thoughts, a raised an eyebrow directed at his godson as he tilted his head. "Yes?"

"He calls himself a god so I was just wondering…" Naruto's head slowly turned towards him, Jirayai's eyebrows rising past his hairline, seeing violet slitted eyes staring back at him.

"Does he bleed?"

* * *

_**This chapter was seriously too long so it had to be cut.**_

_**Immediate questions:**_

_**Kiyohime: Shape-shifter amongst the snakes**_

_**Got the idea for her after reading up on Japanese mythology. A quick google search will give you the story. Or unless you're too lazy to search for yourself I'll give a quick explain: Basically she got angry after being rejected by the man she loved and turned into a snake and killed both herself and the man by literally spitting out some fire and melting the both of them. Still a better love story than Twilight.**_

**_Plus, I like OC's. Riha anyone? Anyone? Haha...Anyways, she's an important character: meaning her death will be horrible. Hehe I kid, I kid..._**

**_Neji: Canon Neji had the most unfortunate death. For now though, he's on his own. _**

_**Snake summons: Yes. Hell yes. In my opinion, the strongest of the summons considering Manda would have taken out both Bunta and the slug (her name eludes me) if it wasn't for Tsunade pinning him to the ground with a sword through his mouth. That's just my opinion though.**_

_**Naruto's personality: Absolutely no mercy shown to enemies. A serious badass. When he's on his downtime though, he's a cool as cucumber, milk obsessed gentleman. Most of the time. Remember boys and girls, milk is for strong bones and healthy teeth. If you're lactose intolerant then there's always soy...or rice...or oatmeal. **_

_**Akatsuki: Yepppppp! He's going to be taking Orochimaru's spot. Playing the role of a double agent as Itachi did in the story. It remains to be seen if he can pull it off. And no he won't be paired with Kisame. **_

_**Sage Mode: Maybe. Maybe not. **_

**_Byakugan: Nawwww...maybe. Actually, nawwwww._**

**_Canon power levels: Nawwwww. This is a story about 'Ninja' remember. They're not supposed to be deity's that can shit out nukes._**

_**I hope the bone explanations weren't to scientific for anyone. Had to do some research for the ****shikotsumyaku (dead bone pulse). I hope no one had to open another tab with a human skeleton diagram. Should I just simplify the bone details? Yes? No? Maybe?**_

**_I'm still deliberating what to update next. The third chapter for Bone Collector is about at 60% while Yellow Fang is at 50%...decisions decisions._**

**_Later folks and thanks for reading. _**

**_Policy_**


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